It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the most-anticipated Nintendo games of the year. The series hasn't seen a mainline entry for home consoles since Animal Crossing: City Folk released for the Nintendo Wii in over a decade ago.
Just a couple of days ago, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was finally released for the Nintendo Switch, and fans were finally given the game they had been clamouring for so long. With near-pervect scores, Animal Crossing: New Horizons currently has a very impressive 91/100 on review aggregator site Metacritic; a testament to the game's flawless design.
It isn't just the near-perfect scores that have made Animal Crossing: New Horizons a success, as new information has revealed that the game is now the fastest-selling single game on the Nintendo Switch in the United Kingdom; single game; since Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield were considered each as one game for the study.
This information also reveals that not only is Animal Crossing: New Horizons the fastest-selling single game on the Switch in the United Kingdom, but that it is also the biggest launch for an Animal Crossing game ever; managing to sell more copies than every single game in the series combined.
According to the information collected by GfK, the long-awaited title was able to have a launch 3.5 times bigger than Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS — which is the predecessor to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as well as the previous biggest launch for the beloved series.
It is also worth mentioning that only physical sales were included in this study, which makes these numbers even more impressive, considering that a lot of people have opted to purchase digital copies of their games on account of the COVID-19 outbreak.
If the hustle and bustle of modern life’s got you down, Tom Nook has a new business venture up his sleeve that he knows you’ll adore: the Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package! Sure, you’ve crossed paths with colorful characters near and far. Had a grand time as one of the city folk. May’ve even turned over a new leaf and dedicated yourself to public service! But deep down, isn’t there a part of you that longs for…freedom? Then perhaps a long walk on the beach of a deserted island, where a rich wealth of untouched nature awaits, is just what the doctor ordered!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is currently available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.