Animal Crossing: New Horizons managed to break a year-long sales record for Nintendo of Europe, selling an astonishing 7 million units since its launch in 2020.
According to Nintendo information shared with GamesIndustry.biz, these game sales represent about a third of all Switch owners in Europe. Nintendo’s investor website estimates the total sales figures for the game at just over 31 million, meaning that about 24 million copies have been sold in other regions. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had already set a short-term launch sales record for Europe in 2018, although it does not appear that Nintendo specified whether that game also held the record for a year.
Some factors probably made it easier for Animal Crossing to set the new record. In addition to its acclaim and general popularity of the series, it was released three years after the release of the Switch, meaning that there was a larger player base for the game from the beginning. Of course, COVID-19 also kept people indoors year-round, and New Horizons allowed them to stay connected. Certain politicians even recommended this specifically at the beginning of the pandemic. Before a Nintendo policy change, some, like now President Biden, even used the game in their campaigns.
It also helped that Animal Crossing: New Horizons got a steady stream of content updates. We just saw St Patrick’s Day-based Shamrock items arrive in the game, and Easter-themed “Rabbit Day” items will arrive tomorrow. Even Mario couldn’t stay off the island, with his own gifts available to celebrate the franchise’s latest Switch release, and you’ll have to be careful about the April Fool’s Day items that will come in the next update.
