Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fastest-selling single Switch game in the UK to date
New Horizons launch sales surpass the launch of any other Animal Crossing game
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold more physical copies at launch in the UK than any other Animal Crossing game launch so far.
GameIndustry.biz reports Animal Crossing: New Horizons sales figures are 3.5 times bigger than Animal Crossing: New Leaf when it released on the 3DS in 2013. The figure only takes physical sales into account and doesn't include digital downloads, but with physical copies sold alone, it's officially the biggest single-game launch on the Nintendo Switch to date.
Pokemon Sword and Shield also enjoyed a very successful launch and hit an impressive amount of sales globally within its first week. If you consider the sales of Sword and Shield combined, the Pokemon games did have a bigger launch week than Animal Crossing, but the sales of Animal Crossing as a standalone title make it the fastest-selling single Switch title in the UK.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also currently ahead in sales in comparison to the other big release, Doom: Eternal. The rivalry and fun crossovers of both games in the lead up to the release made for such a fun little pocket of internet goodness. In recent weeks we've seen all kinds of amazing fan art and creative projects that celebrate the fact they share the same launch date.
Prior to the figures being released, there was already discussion that New Horizons may be the Switch's most successful launch yet. The successful launch of New Horizons probably comes as no surprise to many. The game has truly taken over the internet, with many feeds being flooded with memes, screenshots, and videos of people showing off their latest adventures on their deserted islands. It's just the kind of wholesomeness we need right now.
Just getting started on your island and need some help finding resources? Here's how to find Animal Crossing: New Horizons iron nuggets.
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I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.