'Animal Crossing' Is on Track to Become Nintendo's Best-Selling Game Ever for the Switch

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now on track to become the best-selling game ever for the Nintendo Switch since the console’s release back in 2017.

According to Business Insider, the highly accessible title has now sold more than 26 million copies over the past eight months from its launch date earlier in March, 14.3 million of which were sold between March 20 and September 30. It now only trails behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a game that sold almost 29 million copies since its 2017 release. Much of the success behind Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be attributed to the timing of its launch during the global coronavirus pandemic, with Business Insider noting that players turned to the game for a sense of “comfort and normalcy” in an otherwise highly unusual time.

While sales have slowed down as we got further away from the game’s original launch date and the global pandemic situation begins to recover across different regions, Nintendo is nonetheless trying to keep its game relevant and engaging by frequently releasing updates and new content based around various seasons and festivals. One of the latest to arrive was a Halloween event over October, where players could dress up in playful costumes, acquire special themed items for their houses, and grow their own pumpkins.

In other gaming news, Sony has announced that the PS5 will not be available in-store on launch day.