Ah, Animal Crossing and COVID-19: the peanut butter and jelly of our dystopian times. If ever there was a combination to bring gaming into mainstream acceptance, this is it — a captivating, charming game of make-believe against a backdrop of viral terror.
Life as we know it came to a halt this spring as the coronavirus disrupted and claimed lives around the globe. A few weeks into this living hell (which began in early March for many Americans and continues to kill hundreds in the U.S. each day), Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons on March 20.
The social-simulation game — thematically centered on the ease of island life and the appeal of talking animals — sold over 13 million physical and digital copies in its first six weeks. According to Nintendo’s fiscal reporting, that makes ACNH the highest grossing Animal Crossing title in the franchise (by a big, big margin) as well as the most successful launch for a Nintendo Switch release in the console’s history. Read more…
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