Demand for the Nintendo Switch in Asia swelled while people across the region complied with national lockdowns, according to e-commerce aggregator iPrice Group, making it the console of choice for gamers there during the COVID-19 era.
Searches for the Switch performed by online shoppers in the region increased by 245% during the months of April and May, the research shows. Their findings are based on the analysis of 1.5 million searches performed on online shopping sites in seven countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.
iPrice Group found Nintendo’s console is the most popular in five of those countries, with Sony’s Playstation 4 taking the top spots in Indonesia and Vietnam.
This appears to be part of a larger global trend.
According to Europe’s video game trade agency, ISFE, console sales in Italy increased by 84% during the country’s first week of lockdown. France saw a huge jump of 140.6%, also during the first week of its quarantine. And in Spain, the data shows sales increased by 27.7% in that country’s first week of lockdown, and 66.1% during its second week.
While those numbers include sales of other consoles, its worth noting the ISFE found in January that the Switch accounted for more than half (52%) of all console sales in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Mandatory stay-at-home orders may not be the only factor fueling the growing popularity of the Switch.
Nintendo’s release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on March 20, right around the time many countries were implementing lockdowns, may have played a role. The game went on to become the top-selling game in March, according to The NPD Group, and is the second best-selling game of 2020.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has proven popular with many, including with celebrities like Brie Larson and T-Pain. Why? Because as The New York Times pointed out, Animal Crossing: New Horizons really is the best way to spend time in quarantine. I’m sure that’s true in Asia, Europe, or really, anywhere.
