On the latest episode of HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the television host jokingly suggested Nintendo created the modern strain of Coronavirus just so it could sell more units of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. From its Japan-only Nintendo 64 debut back in 2001, the Animal Crossing series has always operated in a particular niche among Nintendo's big franchises. There's no violence, there's no action, and there's no direct competition. Animal Crossing is special because it's not directly comparable to other games.
The latest entry in the series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, released on March 20, and sold incredibly well. Within a matter of days, it became the best-selling entry in the entire franchise, and was the third-strongest launch for any Nintendo game ever, trailing only the Wii and Switch versions of Super Smash Brothers.
HBO's Last Week Tonight poked fun at Nintendo's spectacular success with New Horizons. In a segment about Covid-19 and the correlation between antibodies and resistance to the disease, he posits the notion that just because something seems to make sense doesn't mean there is any scientific connection. As an example, he suggests that there is no way to directly prove Nintendo created and unleashed Coronavirus to boost sales of Animal Crossing to a captive audience.
It's easy to draw a line between two points, but that doesn't mean there's a connection. Animal Crossing is a game all about socializing with others while exploring a small community and engaging in family-friendly outdoor activities. In today's unprecedented situation, Coronavirus has ravaged the world and people around the globe are encouraged to stay inside and play video games, even with the hot summer season imminently approaching. Joking about the supposed correlation between these two independent stories helps make things feel a little less stressful, even if it's so absurd it's hard to believe there's a single person on the planet who would buy into Oliver's theory.
Of course, Oliver is merely having a bit of fun at the expense of Nintendo. For more than a month, late night television hosts have been recording their shows from home, providing the comfort of entertainment even without aid from usual amenities like a studio audience or a full crew of hair and makeup artists. Fortunately, not even Coronavirus can stop America's favorite humorists from delivering their punchlines and information to a world in dire need of relief.
Source: Last Week Tonight