COVID-19: global video game sales increase as of March 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic that spread across the world at the beginning of 2020 was not only a big threat to public health, but also to the entire entertainment industry. While cinemas and theaters closed their doors to try to stem the spread of the disease, many people turned to home entertainment during periods of self-isolation. From March 16 to March 22, a total of 4.3 million games were sold worldwide. This 63 percent total increase from the previous week is, in part, due to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons by Nintendo. However, like-for-like game sales also increased by 44 percent, suggesting that many people were turning to video gaming to keep them entertained through the crisis.