Released in the fall of 2017, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp acts as a mobile outlet for fans of the franchise. Rather than creating and renovating an island, players take control of a campsite that villagers can visit, similar to the system in other Animal Crossing installments like New Horizons. The game’s title refers to both the on-the-go mobile aspect of the game and the new setting. Hence, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
Despite grossing over $50 million in its first year and $150 million internationally by 2020, Nintendo has decided to shut down the app on November 28, 2024. In addition to the game’s closure, in-app subscriptions won’t be sold or renewed after October 28 and players have been encouraged to consume all in-game currencies like Leaf Tickets prior to the game’s shutdown. Many fans have been understandably upset at the game’s closure. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp marks the fifth mobile game Nintendo has shut down or ended major support for alongside Miitomo (2018), Dr. Mario World (2021), Dragalia Lost (2022), and Mario Kart Tour (2023). However, dedicated Pocket Camp fans shouldn’t lose hope, as an alternative to the game will be available sometime in the future.
A New Campsite for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Fans to Care For
Nintendo has announced that a new premium version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will take the place of the original. Unlike the version shutting down in November, this premium edition of Pocket Camp will be offline. However, this means that players of the game can’t interact with other players’ campsites, one of the main selling points of the original Pocket Camp.
Though current players of the game will lose the ability to interact with each other in this new paid version, gamers don’t have to worry about losing their saved data. Any players interested in playing the new premium version of Pocket Camp can transfer their current save data over to the new game upon release. As mentioned previously, Nintendo is encouraging players to use any in-app currencies like Leaf Tickets prior to the game’s shutdown. This is because Leaf Tickets will not be transferred over to the new premium edition of Pocket Camp once it is released.
Nintendo's Motive for Pocket Camp's Closure
Nintendo said it is shutting down Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp to shift the studio’s focus away from mobile releases and towards prioritizing monetization strategies. Making Pocket Camp a monetized game outside its in-app purchases (which are subject to iOS’s Apple tax) fits the bill for this new goal.
While the reasoning behind Pocket Camp’s closure and its successor have been announced, a release date for this new premium game has not been announced. Nintendo has broadly said the game will be available in the near future, though that could mean anything from a month after the original game’s closure, a year later, or the new edition could be left on the back burner entirely.
Fans and critics alike have also been scouring for other motives for shutting down Pocket Camp outside of Nintendo’s press release. With the mysterious Switch 2 on the horizon and many exclusive and popular titles supposedly available for the console on launch, many have speculated that Animal Crossing could be among the lucky franchises to promote the Switch 2. Shutting down Pocket Camp could move fans of the game not only toward the existing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but also this alleged new title. Hopefully, fans of Pocket Camp will not have to wait until the Switch 2’s supposed release date of 2026 for new Animal Crossing content if the paid version of the game is left in the dark.
Though Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp may be shutting down, fans of the game will hopefully be satiated by this premium version soon. If not, they can turn to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to collect villagers and get their cozy game fix.
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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
- Franchise
- Animal Crossing
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- How Long To Beat
- 100 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
