Nintendo quarterly sales figures update, (To 31st Dec 2020) Switch 79.87m

[PAOerfulone]

SKMBlake said:

Kakadu18 said:

No game can sell 30mil+ first year and not slow down afterwards.

Have you ever heard of GTA V ? Cause it's currently at 135 million copies in 7 years, doesn't seem to slow down

Apples and oranges.

GTA V released on PS3/360 just 2 months before the launch of the PS4/XOne. It did monstrous, gangbuster numbers because in terms of scope, size, and openness, it was Breath of the Wild BEFORE Breath of the Wild. And it was seen as the last big swansong of the PS3 and 360 before moving on to the next generation. Then, when they got ported to PS4 and XOne, pretty much all of the people who bought it on the old consoles bought it again as one of the first games they played when the got the new consoles + new gen gamers who wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And overall, the game's monstrous success is based almost entirely on its own merit. The biggest reason why it's at 135 million copies in 7 years and STILL not slowing down, is because the game is just that damn good.

Animal Crossing is not doing this on its own merit. It's monstrous success is unquestionably boosted by a worldwide pandemic that caught everyone off guard. And with everyone basically trapped indoors, most turned to video games as a time-killer and a source of comfort and escapism, and New Horizons was the PERFECT game to fulfill ALL of these needs. It was a right place, right time scenario. Once this pandemic is finally over and things go back to normal (whatever 'normal' will be moving forward), it'll still have steady legs because it'll still get the new gamers year after year who want to see what the fuss is about. But it's not going to be the same beast it once was. Just like Pokemon isn't the same beast it once was when it was on top of the world in the late '90s. Sooner or later, that bubble is going to pop, and while Animal Crossing will still be one of Nintendo's biggest franchises moving forward. I don't think any game after New Horizons will ever reach these same levels again.