Nintendo sells a lot more Switches, as people stay at home playing Animal Crossing

A couple of weeks ago, we noted some new NPD numbers pointing to a very good March for the Switch. Nintendo’s financials this week bear out the predicted surge in popularity for the three-year-old console.

The company has sold 21 million Switch units in the past year, handily beating a 19.5 million forecast; 6.2 million of those systems were the newer, cheaper Switch Lite, which hit the market in September. All of this comes as the company has run up against shortages through a combination of increased popularity and a global supply chain knocked off balance from COVID-19.

In spite of the increased difficulty in procuring a device at retail, the pandemic looks to have had a positive impact on Switch sales, as stay at home orders have increased interest. The arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons couldn’t have been better timed, either. The title fulfills both the increased demand for stationary entertainment as well as virtual socialization.

No surprise, then, that the game has become the console’s fastest selling. As of the end of March, 11.77 million copies have been sold. The figures make New Horizons the seventh best-selling Switch title of all time — between Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee! And Splatoon 2 — in spite of having only been on sale for just over a month.

The year ahead may look at bit rockier for the company, however, with the arrival of next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony arriving this holiday season. 

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