Nintendo Switch Shortages Prompt Gamers to Pick Up Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Nintendo Switch shortages have prompted gamers to pick up Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Just about [...]

By Aaron Perine

Nintendo Switch shortages have prompted gamers to pick up Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Just about everyone with a Switch has been clamoring for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and it's been hard for the company to meet demand. Well, new reporting from gonintendo indicates that some players in Japan have decided to opt for the older version of the game because of the scarcity associated with the console. 3DS systems are still around, and for the moment, probably a surer bet than securing Nintendo's latest console. The reports say that New Leaf's physical copies are selling for as much as $92. Also, the Welcome Amiibo update is selling for around $46.

Adding to all this is the fact that the culprit for the shortage seems to be the proliferation of checkout bots. For those who don't know, a Vice report from this week detailed that Bird Bot allowed many to scoop up systems the second they appeared online. The bot alerts users of restocks in real-time and purchases on their behalf. The console is now going for over $200 over the suggested retail price on marketplaces like eBay. Bird Bot's operators told Vice that they had hatched the bot to help people during this time. Open source availability allowed resellers full access to the technology and it was on from there.

For anyone that remembers the knock-down drag-out struggle to get an NES Classic from Nintendo, the bot problem is familiar. In other marketplaces like sneaker collecting the practice is also widespread and causes normal purchasers a headache. The system has been a runaway success for Nintendo after a period of uncertainty coming out of the Wii U. Now, a true test will begin as production will have to come from somewhere. Navigating COVID-19 will present some significant challenges because of demand, but nobody has slowed in their love for the Switch so far.

Animal Crossing has already been shattering records. According to GamesIndustry.Biz publisher Christopher Dring, UK sales for New Horizons are significantly outpacing the game's predecessor. In fact, New Horizons' launch week sales are three and a half times those of New Leaf. The latest entry's sales are outpacing the first week sales of every Animal Crossing game combined. What's even more mind-blowing is the fact that these numbers do not account for digital sales!

Have you been able to secure your Switch or another for another island? Let us know in the comments!

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