It's been revealed that more people bought a Nintendo Switch than every other console combined in the United Kingdom.
Last year was a rough one on almost all counts. Political unrest was reaching its peak, most of us were locked up inside for most of the year due to the pandemic, and worst of all, we had to endure a celebrity rendition of Imagine by John Lennon. Thankfully we had video games to distract us from the burning hellscape that was 2020, but one console dominated the market more than any other in the UK last year - the Nintendo Switch.
Related: There Won't Be A Game Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons Again
According to the Head of GamesIndustry.biz, Christopher Dring, Nintendo dominated in the United Kingdom, managing to keep the Nintendo Switch relevant despite the highly anticipated launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. In fact, more Nintendo Switches were bought in the UK than every other console combined, including the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
There are a couple of possible explanations for this outside of Nintendo's charm and family-friendly aura. One of the highlights of 2020 was the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. With the entire population of the UK locked up indoors during its release, the game quickly became popular for allowing people to connect with each other when doing so in person was both dangerous and against the law. A large part of Nintendo's continued success last year was solely down to the pandemic and Animal Crossing.
There's also the problem with scalpers and stock shortages of both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X which has left both consoles ridiculously difficult to get a hold of to this day. The pandemic has undoubtedly played a part in the stock shortages, and more may have been available had the consoles been released during a normal year.
All of this isn't to detract from the unbelievable success of the Nintendo Switch, and how the console has delivered some of the brightest moments in one of the darkest years. With Nintendo's renewed popularity across the globe and rumors of a new, more powerful Nintendo Switch on the horizon, it's likely that Nintendo will be expecting even more success in the years to come.