“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” welcomed back a slew of players earlier this year with the release of a wide-ranging free update and a Switch 2 version of the Nintendo game.
While the Japanese gaming company has been more than happy to see so many fans re-engage with the cozy life sim, which released to massive success six years ago today amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the team is also pleased with how many new villagers have moved in amid the major launch.
“It’s super exciting with the release of the free update; there’s so much to it,” Nintendo of America vice president Reiko Ninomiya told Variety this week. “We know that there’s certainly a community of fans that exist out there, but it’s also great to see new people get involved.”
The free update came with many features, including the opening of a resort hotel run by classic “Animal Crossing” character Kapp’n and his family, the debut of Slumber Island and its multiplayer aspects for Nintendo Switch Online members, and an island reset service from another “AC” staple returning to the franchise, Resetti. For Switch 2, key extras include the megaphone used to call your favorite island residents and Joy Con 2 mouse controls for better designing capabilities.
Ninomiya says these additions to the game were brought about by a mixture of fan requests and the “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” team’s own priorities.
“Inspiration for the development team comes from a variety of different places,” Ninomiya said. “They certainly look at what the intent of each game is, individually, but also how people are reacting and how they are experiencing the game. I’ve even heard them say that they get inspiration from nature and inspiration can really come from anywhere.”
Ninomiya added: “But if you look at Nintendo Switch 2, we released new hardware and there are features available because there’s new hardware, and I think those can also be sources of inspiration for developers. For example, with ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons,’ you can now call on your neighbor friends, rather than just run around your island and try to find them. I found myself a screaming Curt, who happens to be one of my favorite NPCs on my island, because he has the band aid on his forehead and the MVP shirt. We should all have the MVP energy, right? So I think that’s great. Also the mouse controls that allows for more direct input of designing things, because that’s so central to the ‘Animal Crossing’ experience.”
Plenty came with the free Version 3.0 update as well, like Kapp’n and his hotel.
“I think Kapp’n is one of those well-beloved characters that really helps tie the newness and the nostalgia together for people,” Ninomiya said. “The resort hotel was one of the features where they added items so that people have what they need in order to complete the task of designing a room on theme, right? So, I think that’s just more of that idea of a blank slate that allows people to let their creative juices flow.”
Ninomiya is also particularly proud of the new Slumber Island feature and how it supports the community aspect of “Animal Crossing,” noting: “this is a space where you can work together and build the island of your dreams collaboratively, which I think is a really nice progression of the game and really thoughtfully designed.”
Looking ahead to the future of “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” on a granular level, Ninomiya is “super excited because insects are gonna start coming out as the weather warms up,” and she’s a big fan of the Bug-Off event. But other than that, she’s remaining tight-lipped about larger updates to come and the potential for new “Animal Crossing” games, saying: “I totally appreciate that question, but we don’t have anything to announce.”
When it comes to paying attention to what players are most interested in, Ninomiya knows there is a community of fans who are passionate about their favorite new villagers and equally passionate about their least favorites. But she is not about to speak ill of any “Animal Crossing” NPCs who “maybe were a little rougher around the edges,” including Resetti.
“People didn’t like him in the previous versions of the game, but this time he’s in a very helpful role, where your island may not be as neat and tidy as you want it to be and he’s there to offer a helping hand,” Ninomiya said. “And for the first time, it’s free! What a great deal. After that, he will certainly charge you, which is pretty on brand for Resetti. But I feel like even the ones that are less likable out the gate, they absolutely grow on you. And for me, maybe they grow on me more only because they’re a little rough around the edges. Like I said, Curt, he’s my boy. I’ll never give him a shirt, because I don’t want him to change.”