Summary
Animal Crossinghas become one of Nintendo’s most talked about franchises, even leading to a high-profile cross promotion. With so many fans jumping on board theAnimal Crossingbandwagon, gamers may be excited by the notion that said crossover could set up a big change to the series’ villagers.
Animal Crossingreceived its first third-party crossover when Sanrio, the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty and other popular characters, partnered with Nintendo to release special edition amiibo cards. Each card featureda new villager inspired by a different Sanrio character, and would also allow players to purchase in-game cosmetics with appropriate theming. Originally only released in Japan, the cards proved so popular that they later saw release in other countries as well. With such a high level of success, Nintendo may want to try more crossover content in the nextAnimal Crossinggame. This type of amiibo-based cross promotion could completely change the game when it comes to introducing new villagers to the series.
Animal Crossing’s Turbulent History with Crossovers
Though the Sanrio promotion was the most successful crossover forAnimal Crossing,seeing amiibo cards quickly sell out in the west, the games also have some history crossing over with other Nintendo titles. Even from the first game in the series, players could unlock NES consoles for their home that each played one of Nintendo’s classic games. This feature would appear in the Japan-exclusiveDobutsu no Mori,the firstAnimal Crossingtitle for the N64, and would return for the worldwide release ofAnimal Crossingfor the Gamecube. This feature was removed in later titles, possibly due to the complex ways players were forced to unlock them. Though crossovers wouldn’t appear again for several more entries in the series, this suggests that theAnimal Crossinggames were always intended to offer fans experiences inspired by other IPs.
Nintendo wouldn’t revisit crossovers inAnimal Crossinguntil the release of amiibo, their answer to the toys-to-life craze. Because amiibo originally released withSuper Smash Bros. for the 3DS and WiiU, the figures represented a variety of Nintendo’s most popular characters. With pressure put on the company to keep amiibo relevant, it took the opportunity to create new villagers forAnimal Crossing New Leaf’sWelcome Amiiboupdate. Certainamiibo from theLegend of ZeldaandSplatoonseries would let players invite special villagersbased on the character they scanned to visit their cities. Since then, almost all ofAnimal Crossing’s crossovers have taken this form.
The Problem with Amiibo Crossovers
Despite the success of the Sanrio amiibo cards, and the initial high success of theSmash Bros.amiibo series, the figures have dwindled in popularity since the decline of toys-to-life games. Nintendo has yet to give up on the concept, still releasing a few amiibo on occasion, but fans aren’t grabbing them up like they used to. Using paid content to unlock special villagers also places some game content behind a paywall. ManyAnimal Crossingfans painstakingly create their perfect settlements, even creatingimmaculately themed islands inNew Horizons.They might not take well to the idea of having to purchase any special villagers they want, especially if they’re only unlocked through amiibo that haven’t been in stores for a while. Seeing more crossovers with Nintendo games, or other companies, would be a treat for players, but there must be a better way to release them.
The Distribution Solution
Nintendo doesn’t need any big event as an excuse to include crossovers with its original IPs. TheSplatoonandZeldavillagers are already designed, so it would be fairly easy to update them to be included in the nextAnimal Crossinggame’s base content. For crossovers with other games, the solution could be as easy as including a code with physical copies, or adding the special packs as traditional DLC in the Nintendo eShop. For example,Pokemonfans who buy the next installment in the series might be gifted with the ability to findvillagers based on that game’s starter trio or other fan favorite Pokemon, or purchase a Pokemon-themed Villager bundle in the digital marketplace.
Nintendoand the rest of the gaming world have no shortage of characters who could be turned into new villagers that players would spend hours searching for. An influx of villagers from other franchises could change theAnimal Crossingseries in a major way, but many fans would consider it an improvement, so long as the crossovers are implemented correctly.
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is a Nintendo-exclusive life sim franchise spread across numerous Nintendo consoles. Featuring anthropomorphic villagers, strong customization, and a real-time day cycle, the Animal Crossing series offer unique and varied gameplay.
