Nintendo posts 5-fold profit jump as ‘Animal Crossing’ sales top 22 million

Japan’s Nintendo Co Ltd on Thursday reported a more than five-fold jump in quarterly profit, driven by breakout demand for its Switch device and hit title “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” as the coronavirus lockdown lifts the games industry.

Nintendo has proved a winner of the pandemic as stuck-at-home gamers flock to titles like “Animal Crossing”, which sold 10.6 million units in the first quarter, bringing its total sales to 22.4 million since launching in March.

“Animal Crossing” is a runaway hit, with more than half of new Switch devices first used to play the title during the quarter and total sales second only to “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe”.