Animal Crossing: New Horizons has reportedly outsold Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver- making it the second best selling game in Japan of all time.
The news comes via Game Data Library, which the organizers claim “might be the largest collection of Japanese game sales data on the internet.” On August 7th, they claimed the game sold 7.150 million copies in Japan.
This made it the third best selling game in Japan of all time. First and second place were held by Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue (10.23 million units collectively) and Pokemon Gold and Silver (7.170 million units collectively).
However, that was based on information as of June 30th, likely thanks to Nintendo’s three month earning statements. Game Data Library claimed “since June New Horizons has sold over 350k units domestically, so sales as of today are over 7.5m. In other words its actually the 2nd all time best selling game.”
As stated in the supplementary Financial Results Explanatory Material on page 16, Animal Crossing: New Horizons did sell 331,000 units in Japan over three months ending June 30th.
While only one month and a few weeks has passed since then, it is not impossible to imagine the game selling that many units over that time period; if we consider increased production, coronavirus pandemic quarantine orders easing, free updates, and continuous stories about the games’ successes.
For example, the game sold 1.8 million physical units in its first three days on sale in Japan (making it the best opening week for a Nintendo Switch game). Analysts later claimed the game sold 5 million digital copies over March 2020 (more than any other console game in history).
Later it was revealed the game sold 11.77 million units in its first 11 days on sale, and 13.4 million in its first six weeks. In mid-May it had become the fastest selling Nintendo Switch game in Japan. It later became the best selling game in Japan’s first half of 2020, with over an estimated 5 million physical copies sold.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was also revealed to be the most talked about game on Twitter in the first six months of 2020. Players sharing how they decorated their islands, the antics of their villagers, and the games’ financial success were all likely contributing factors.
As of June 30th, the game has sold over 22 million units globally. The Nintendo The Financial Results Explanatory Material notes that the game “contributed greatly to overall growth in sales.” For context, the game launched almost five months prior on March 20th.
Game Data Library also noted the game had become the best selling game on a single SKU (stock keeping unit), beating the original Super Mario Bros. 30-year old record.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out now on Nintendo Switch. In case you missed it, you can find our review here (we recommend it!)
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