The newly announced Animal Crossing collab has fans of the cozy series excited about new merchandise, but there might be a darker side to the announcement. Even though Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the most successful entry in the franchise, the continued emphasis placed on that game could be a detriment to the series.
The recently announced collaboration between Animal Crossing and Crocs both surprised and delighted fans on its reveal. Crocs has been dipping its toes into video game collabs as of late, partnering with games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Pokemon, with Animal Crossing as the latest game to join these icons of the industry. The shoes feature designs based on the New Horizons island and overworld map, and will include jibbitz charms of fan-favorite characters and icons from the game. The design of the shoes couldn’t have come out better, but the fact that they are based so heavily on New Horizons might not be the best news for fans hoping for a new title in the near future.
The Next Animal Crossing Game Should 'Steal' Palia's Best Feature
If the next Animal Crossing for the Switch 2 wishes to be competitive in the modern cozy game landscape, it needs to steal a crucial Palia feature.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Popularity is Beginning to Fade
There’s no overstating how impactful the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was for both the success of the series and the Nintendo Switch. Both longtime fans and newcomers were quickly drawn to the game, and it resonated in a way that Animal Crossing never had before. It remains one of the Switch’s top-selling titles and even has fans porting their saves over to the Switch 2. The transferring of data to the Switch 2 even led to a patch for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on June 18 in order to fix a few issues with its performance on the new console. But it’s worth noting that the new patch didn’t add any new content. Some have taken this as an indication that New Horizons might be on the way out. If that’s the case, though, the Crocs announcement, release, and New Horizons theming could be bad news for the series’ future.
When Will There be a Switch 2 Animal Crossing Game?
With the Switch 2 finally in stores and new titles like Mario Kart World continuing Nintendo’s most popular franchises on the new console, Animal Crossing fans have been hoping for news about a new game. Speculation about what the series could improve upon after New Horizons’ whirlwind success has been rampant, and there are even rumors about a new Animal Crossing game being announced soon. But, with no concrete evidence of a follow-up on the way, the timing of New Horizons-inspired Crocs might be distressing to some fans. After all, it wouldn’t make sense to release merchandise for the previous game in a series if the next one were coming any time soon.
Of course, the absence of news doesn’t always mean that there isn’t news to announce, so players shouldn't give up hope. If nothing else, it seems inevitable that the Switch 2 will receive an Animal Crossing game eventually. With the recent boom in life sim games, the next Animal Crossing has an obvious next step to take in order to compete.
The likes of Disney Dreamlight Valley and Palia have spoiled fans when it comes to quality of life inclusions that Animal Crossing lacks. Faster travel and better inventory management are a must for the next game, as well as an expansion of New Horizons’ customization features. With a few simple improvements, the next game in the series has the potential to be even better than New Horizons when it does finally arrive.
The Crocs collaboration is ultimately good news on the surface. Crocs' various video game collabs have all been with massively popular titles, showing that people both in and outside the games industry have taken notice of Animal Crossing. Even five years after its release, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still inspiring fans and creators. So, even if a new game has yet to be announced, and may not be in the near future, Animal Crossing is still going strong as a series.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Expansions
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
