Not only toilet paper and hair clippers could not be dragged because of the corona outbreak, the Nintendo Switch has also been difficult to obtain for weeks. The game console is so popular that it is now sold for almost twice as much money as before.
People all over the world are looking for entertainment and game makers benefit from that. Nintendo probably made about 80 percent more profit in the first quarter of the year. The exact figures will come this morning. Analysts are counting on the best year in a decade.
Competitors Microsoft and Sony also sell more, for example online subscriptions, but Nintendo seems to benefit the most. This is mainly because the game Animal Crossing, a game where you live on an island and build your own society with animals, is incredibly popular. The game came out when many countries took quarantine measures and by accident that turned out to be perfect timing.
Since mid-March, when the game was released, Nintendo’s stock price has gone up 40 percent. The game has been sold out at many stores for weeks.
Corona Game
“It’s the perfect corona game,” said game developer Mathijs van de Laar. “There is something going on every day and in this age of grind and sitting at home, it is nice for people.” Some players use the game to gather with family and friends. There are already such weddings been in the game.
Van de Laar and his studio Twirlbound released a game for Nintendo’s game console at the end of November, Pine, and that is now also selling better than before. “We have noticed that sales have sometimes tripled. The usual peak is now almost every day,” says Van de Laar.
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