Animal Crossingsounds incredibly dull on paper, but there’s something oddly satisfying about the monotony of whirring away on a virtual island to pay off a virtual mortgage, logging in every day to tick off a bunch of menial chores and say hello to your homestead of cute talking animals.
Before the pandemic, I couldn’t get into the series. The idea of a life sim with gated progression that forces you to wait in real time to complete mundane tasks was unbearably tedious. Seriously, not being able to sell turnips until Sunday? But when we were all trapped indoors and time became an incomprehensible blob, with months starting to feel like weeks,those roadblocks made every day feel meaningful again.
Even removed from that context, I’ve come to treasure Animal Crossing, and I keep finding myself dipping back into New Horizons just to be comforted by its tedium. But after five years, I’m all out of ways to keep the experience fresh. I was hoping the Switch 2 would give me something more to chew on, but the console’s long-awaited launch came and went without a whiff of Tom Nook, and I’m left without anything to spend my Bells on.
Thankfully, Nintendo has a new Direct lined up to give us a better idea of what’s in store for the Switch 2, but if Animal Crossing isn’t included, then I’m not sure what I bought the console for.
Forget Hollow Knight Silksong, I Just Want A New Animal Crossing
The only Switch 2 exclusive that I’m even remotely excited about right now isThe Duskbloods, and that’s not releasing until next year. So, all I’m left with is a $420 paperweight. But it would all be worth it for a new Animal Crossing.
Granted, it’s a bit of a pipe dream. Tomorrow’s Direct is all about third-party games, meaning that we’ll probably see a bunch of upcoming ports to show off how capable the Switch 2 is, rather than any new Nintendo titles. After all, Animal Crossing isn’t third-party, so hoping for it to make an appearance seems a bit silly.
But YouTuber Wood “BeatEmUps” Hawker — who was the first person to claim a Nintendo Direct was happening this month — claimed thatthe showcase would end with a major needle drop,revealing that a new Animal Crossing is launching in 2026.
They also claimed thatDeath Stranding: Director’s CutandThe Witcher 3ports would be revealed, lining up with the third-party focus.
Ending a Partner Direct with a first-party release still seems far-fetched, so I’m not totally convinced. But given that BeatEmUps was the first to report on the showcase, I’m clinging to the hope that they were also right about its biggest reveal.
Animal Crossing defined the first Switch, and a sequel could easily do the same for its successor. Nintendo probably won’t make a big reveal like that at Gamescom, so the Partner Showcase is our last hope. And while many are desperate to finally see more fromHollow Knight: Silksongbeyond the scant few frames we’ve been treated to in recent years, I’m just desperate to hear about what’s happening with Tom Nook and co.
If the last generation proved anything, it’s that this kooky game about talking animals getting into debt as they attempt to carve out a living in the middle of nowhere is every bit a flagship as Nintendo’s heaviest hitters, standing tall alongside Pokémon and Mario. The fact that we’ve heard so little about the series in recent years is sorely disappointing, and the Switch 2shouldhave changed that by now.
So, here’s hoping that tomorrow’s Direct finally breaks the silence, and Nintendo brings us back to this brilliant slice of life game sooner rather than later.
