Nintendo has sold 4.7 million Switch in France since its launch. The firm had a very good year 2020: its console achieved its best sales score last year since 2017. A performance that it undoubtedly owes to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which made explode the meters of the Japanese firm.
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The small console has everything a large one. Nintendo did not experience the crisis in 2020 thanks to its Switch which, in France, achieved its best sales scores since its launch. Philippe Lavoué, general manager of Nintendo France, admits it half-heartedly: “Growth is in double digits compared to the previous year”, before recognizing unusual numbers for a console released 4 years ago. “Traditionally, console sales plateau or even begin to decline at this point. The Switch life cycle promises to be longer than average ”.
In total, these are almost 5 million copies which have passed since 2017 in France. After breaking the NES world record, the Switch is ready to tackle another cornerstone of the Nintendo catalog: the Wii and its 6.5 million sales French. Especially since 2021 promises to be just as good for the video game giant, which could release the Pro version with 4K OLED screen of its console during the year.
Animal Crossing jumped sales scores in 2020
2020 was first and foremost the year of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo. Launched at the same time as the first containment, the island simulation game has exploded the profits of the company which have exceeded 500%. Perfect timing that allowed fans of the success saga to immerse themselves headlong into this new opus. “It was a real frenzy which allowed us to greatly expand our player base. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has established itself as the number one reason to buy a Switch in France ”, admits Philipe Lavoué.
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The figures speak for themselves: last year, Animal Crossing dethroned the unbeatable FIFA leading sales in physical media. In total, Nintendo has placed no less than 8 of its games in the ranking of the 10 physical best sales in France. It includes the recent Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a remake of the great classics of the series, but also Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which was released at the same time as the Switch, in 2017. To this day, it remains the best-selling title of the console.
Source: Les Echos
