Nintendo's much anticipated mobile game following Miitomo, Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes, is finally going to be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 24, via a special Nintendo Direct presentation.
That's right — it's Animal Crossing, a game about living with anthropomorphic animals in one village. It's one of Nintendo's most popular franchises to date, and it's been noted by players and critics as oddly addictive. Odd, because the game isn't as compelling as Super Mario, or as immersive as Legend of Zelda. Yet its charm and calming atmosphere makes it such a pleasurable game to play — qualities that Nintendo must bring over as they port the franchise to mobile phones.
Fishing, digging up fossils, swimming, sending letters to villages and giving them gifts, planting trees and flowers, and decorating your house — these are just some of the thrilling, action-packed activities the game has to offer. But all jokes aside, Animal Crossing is a slow-paced game that cares more about mood, climate, and feeling than goals, narrative, or action. It is a laid-back, "me time" type of game, and how Nintendo plans to translate that for the mobile platform is uncertain.
How To Watch The 'Animal Crossing' Direct Presentation
The 15-minute Nintendo Direct Presentation will start on Oct. 24 at 11 p.m. ET, or 8 p.m. PT. It will be streamed directly via YouTube. Make sure to visit the official site for more information and streaming options.
Nintendo will stream the presentation worldwide, because even though Animal Crossing is a text-heavy game, it transcends the language barrier, as Polygon notes. As for the game itself, it remains uncertain whether Nintendo will roll out to the title for Japanese-speaking folks first followed by English-speaking users. But it's possible the game could come with various translation built-in, like Pokémon X and Y did when it was launched.
To those expecting updates about a possible Animal Crossing title for the Switch, please don't hold your breath. The official Twitter announcement specifically states that "there will be no updates on any other topics including other mobile, Nintendo Switch, or Nintendo 3DS software." Bummer.
Tune in on 10/24 at 8pmPT for an Animal Crossing Mobile Direct exclusively about the #AnimalCrossing MOBILE game. https://t.co/j5eauvX90u pic.twitter.com/GzKj1jUded
— Isabelle (@animalcrossing) October 23, 2017
There's been growing speculation about an Animal Crossing game for the Switch, but nothing concrete has ever come out of Nintendo yet. Still, it seems the game will surely make an appearance eventually, if only for the fact that the Switch being a handheld makes it the perfect device for such a game.
Animal Crossing Mobile
Animal Crossing for mobile was first announced in 2016, alongside other titles that turned out to be Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes. There's practically no hint on what this game might look or play like, but it's safe to assume it'll be somewhat different from the main series.
