Nintendo has a winner in Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the 3DS.
The social-simulation game sold 505,000 copies in June. The publisher confirmed that more than 20 percent of those sales (around 101,000 units) were through its eShop digital-distribution service. Nintendo also confirmed that this new Animal Crossing continues to sell well into July.
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These popular games are also boosting 3DS hardware sales.
“To quote Nintendo during E3, ‘Software sells hardware,’ which is evident in this month’s 3DS results,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan wrote in a statement. “3DS software sales momentum is building due to a steady flow of content over the past few months, leading to positive year-to-date sales results.”
Nintendo sold 225,000 3DS consoles in June. Hardware sales were up 40 percent compared to June 2012, and total software sales for the company were up 104 percent, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.