Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of Nintendo’s most successful games ever. Thanks to the pandemic in the early 2020s, players were stuck at home and yearned for some of what life had to offer, so the game boomed. It offered players the chance to live out a life that wasn’t battling a virus and dealing with political strife. Since, though, Nintendo has kind of begun to ignore the franchise. The last major update to the game was in 2021. Now, it’s getting a Switch 2 updated version, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Animal Crossing’s Switch 2 Version Launching Soon
So many Nintendo Switch games have been given upgraded versions for the Switch 2 to help fill out the library of the console that’s not even six months old yet. Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild, Mario Party Jamboree, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and others got that treatment. Now, after several months, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is joining the fun.
This is pretty substantial for this game since it will also coincide with the version 3.0 update. That will be the first actual update with more content in over four years. So even those still playing on the original Switch or who don’t get the upgraded Switch 2 version can benefit. For the first time in ages, there’s something new to be done in this game.
The Switch 2 version comes with enhanced features including higher resolution, mouse control for the new Joy-cons, an in-game megaphone that uses the system’s built-in microphone, online play for up to 12 players, and CameraPlay, provided you have the appropriate accessories. Ultimately, those are nice, but they don’t matter all that much to players. Many don’t have those accessories, and better graphics is a pretty minor thing. The upgrade pack is $4.99.
What does matter is all the new content. On January 15, which is when this launches, a new resort hotel will open on the pier, and it will be run by Kapp’n’s family. New furniture and clothing will be available at the souvenir shop as well. Resetti will also be available with his Reset Service to help clean up your islands.
Furthermore, your home storage can be upgraded to hold up to 9,000 items, and store trees, shrubs, and flowers in the slots as well. Switch Online members can use Slumber Island to make up to three islands to decorate, design, and play on with three friends. You can also use some Zelda and Splatoon amiibo to get certain characters on the island as well as new items.
This is all very exciting news for the Animal Crossing fan base, but it might not be. This probably is Nintendo’s way of justifying not making a new game. With such a big update coming four years after the last, they’ve effectively extended the lease. They can keep putting off a sequel for longer, especially since there’s a version for Switch 2. Instead of needing to make a new game for the new console, they can just wait longer since the player count will likely be revived.
Conclusion
Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains one of the most popular Nintendo titles, and this new update is exactly what fans of the game have been waiting for. While it ultimately means a new game is not coming any time soon, this does at least provide players with something new to do for a while. They have been anxiously waiting something like that for a very long time, so a win is a win at this point. Still, don’t expect a sequel for the next few years.
