Nintendo has been killing it!
Video game sales exploded last month as the coronavirus forced millions worldwide to hunker down at home looking for something to do.
March spending on video game hardware, software, and accessories jumped 35 percent from a year earlier to $1.6 billion — reversing a seven-month streak of declines to hit the highest March total since 2008, according to industry-tracking firm NPD Group.
The spike was fueled in large part by the Nintendo Switch, whose sales more than doubled last month versus a year earlier — even surpassing its initial sales when it launched in March 2017.
Indeed, the fastest-selling console in Nintendo’s history has become hard to get since the coronavirus started, with the console selling out at retailers like Walmart and Amazon.
An Amazon listing for a used Switch, which normally retails for $300, was priced above the $500 mark on Tuesday, while a special “Animal Crossing” branded Switch was listed at $700 on eBay.
Nine of the top-10 best-selling games last month generated more sales than titles ranked similarly last year, with Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing: New Horizon” leading the pack, edging out No. 2 “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” despite coming out in the second half of the month.
Shares of Nintendo are up more than 20 percent since “Animal Crossing” was released on March 20.
March of 2008, meanwhile, had been headlined by mega-hits “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” for the Nintendo Wii and “Guitar Hero 3.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/videogame-sales-hit-12-high-122312447.html