It's no question that Animal Crossing is one of the most popular series ever created by Nintendo. The quintessential cozy games, filled with quirky Villagers and crushing debts, have been popular since 2001, but unfortunately, there’s been no news from Nintendo about the next entry in the series. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest game in the series, only came out five years ago, but the lack of content updates to that game have made fans eager for any news regarding the future of the series.
A recent - and slightly lackluster - Nintendo Direct confirmed that the Switch 2 wouldn’t receive very many first-party launch titles besides Mario Kart World, which means fans will have to wait even longer for news on Animal Crossing. Though it was unlikely due to how long ago AC:NH came out, there was still some lingering hope that some Animal Crossing news would drop in the Direct. Based on the release date of New Horizons, there may be a few reasons the sequel has yet to be confirmed, mainly due to development cycles and console lifespans.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Helped To Boost The Switch Mid-Cycle
A Flagship Game Always Increases Sales
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a runaway success for Nintendo as soon as it launched. The epitome of a cozy game, New Horizons allowed players to curate their very own island paradise from the ground up. Building relationships with cute NPCs, discovering collectibles from all over the island, and engaging in the turnip-based “stalk” market all captivated millions of people during the peak of Covid-19. The pandemic may have helped boost Nintendo’s sales, as no one could leave their house to actually dig for fossils or learn DIY recipes from their neighbors, but the game would've been successful regardless.
While having a successful game is always the goal for a company, the timing of the success was the cherry on top. Disregarding the pandemic, the Nintendo Switch was nearly halfway through its lifecycle, which is typically when sales start to falter. The Nintendo Switch came out in 2017, and with Animal Crossing: New Horizons released in 2020, a huge influx of interest in the Switch came at the perfect time to prevent a mid-cycle slump.
Animal Crossing Has Always Been A Solid Moneymaker For Nintendo
Tom Nook Has Been Raking In The Cash For Over Two Decades
Animal Crossing, as a series, has always been reliable for Nintendo. Ever since the very first game came out in 2001, every subsequent sequel has been beloved by fans. New Horizons was no exception. In fact, it sold out every other game in the series to become the 15th best-selling game of all time. Not only has the game been a reliable source of income for Nintendo to boost game and console sales, but also the release of limited-edition consoles. Shortly after New Horizons came out, Nintendo dropped a special edition ACNH-themed Nintendo Switch.
When The Next Animal Crossing Game Is Rumored To Release
Animal Crossing’s next installment may launch with the Nintendo Switch 2 and feature multiplayer cities, cars, and new adventure missions.
The mint and cream console featured an adorable decal of Tom Nook and his nephews standing on an island, and since the limited-edition console came out in 2020, it was subject to an extreme amount of scalping. Nintendo was selling out of Switches as soon as they appeared on online retailers' sites. If Nintendo has learned any lesson from Animal Crossing and its special Switch, it’s that it’s best to release these products long after the initial wave of interest in the console has died down to reinvigorate sales.
The Switch 2 Doesn’t Have Many Launch Titles, But That May Be Intentional
Saving More For Later Could Be A Smart Move
The more in-depth reveal of the Switch 2 and its first launch title, Mario Kart World, in the recent Nintendo Direct wasn’t incredibly exciting. The console itself looks like a much improved, but fundamentally the same, version of the first Switch and Mario Kart World looks pretty good. After all the hype that came of the Switch 2, the realization that the next Mario Kart was one of the only first-party launch title for the console was a bit of a letdown.
It’s possible that the sequel’s release date hovering around the middle of the Switch 2’s lifecycle is a happy coincidence for Nintendo, even if it's not the best news for Animal Crossing fans.
However, it’s entirely possible that Nintendo is simply waiting to announce more of its most popular series once the Switch 2 has released and the first wave of sales dies down. That strategy worked for Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020 to increase interest in the console, and Nintendo could replicate that success to boost sales for the Switch 2 later on in its lifecycle. With this potential strategy in mind, the wait for a new Animal Crossing on the Switch 2 could also be that the long development periods of AAA titles are why the Switch 2 isn’t launching with many first-party titles.
For example, there were only four years between City Folk (2008) and New Leaf (2012), and eight years between New Leaf and New Horizons (2020). Since New Horizons only came out five years ago, it’s possible that the sequel’s release date hovering around the middle of the Switch 2’s lifecycle is a happy coincidence for Nintendo, even if it's not the best news for Animal Crossing fans.
