The first anniversary ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsis coming up on March 20, and fans are anxiously awaiting an announcement detailing how Nintendo intends to celebrate. In the year following its release, the latest installment of theAnimal Crossingfranchise has sold over 31 million copies. The release was unintentionally well-timed, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the slow, community-based game gave players a great outlet during quarantine.Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis undoubtedly one of the video games that defined 2020, even earning a nomination for Game of the Year in the 2020 Game Awards.
One of the staples ofAnimal Crossingis the holiday eventsNintendo has designed for players. From Halloween to birthdays and Mardi Gras, there’s always a celebration to look forward to. Having a celebration for the game’s one-year anniversary is a no-brainer.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizonscould plan a standard event following the pattern it has established. Celebrations are usually a scheduled event with a new NPC who visits the island, and the opportunity to earn themed items. Nintendo could celebrate by throwing anAnimal Crossingparty and it would be nice - but they could, and should, go big. Nintendo has released a plethora of updates toAnimal Crossingadding new features and fun items, but there are two things players have been asking for: general quality of life improvements to the game’s functionality, and the return of everyone’s favoritecoffee-loving pigeon, Brewster.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Quality of Life Update
WhileAnimal Crossingis an enjoyable game that takes time to appreciate the little things in life, some of those little things happen very, very slowly. Terraforming an island square by square, only being able to craft one item at a time, and having to go into the fitting room multiple times to buy more than one kind of item are just a few of the inconveniences that slow players down and can cause frustration.
Players don’t have a problem with the real-time format of the game, but certain tasks could be accomplished in a much more efficient manner. Aquality of life update forNew Horizonswould be a huge deal and would be the best way to celebrate the game’s anniversary. It would show that Nintendo is listening to feedback from players and willing to make changes that would improveAnimal Crossingin a major way.
Animal Crossing Players Want Brewster to Return
The other major thing players have been asking for is the return of Brewster, an endearing coffee-loving pigeon who runs a coffee shop called The Roost. Brewster became a favorite in previousAnimal Crossinggames likeCity FolkandNew Leaf,making his absence fromNew Horizonsvery conspicuous. Apart from his popularity, adding Brewster and his coffee shop to the game would give players the chance to add another building to their islands.Able Sisters, Nook’s Cranny, and Blathers’ museum are all great, but a couple more shops would go a long way in creating a more realistic town experience.
Fans have asked for Brewster in every update, but Nintendo has been silent about if and when he might return. Bringing Brewster back to the franchise in honor ofNew Horizons’first anniversary would be a celebration indeed, and a way to thank fans of the franchise for their continued loyalty.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Celebrate Individual Islands Instead
If Nintendo doesn’t make a big deal out of the game’s anniversary, it might be because it wants to celebrate the formation of original islands. Instead of commemorating the game’s birthday, it would be a fitting substitute to throw a big party on the birthdays of individual islands. For some players that date would be March 20, but for others, it could be much later.
SurelyAnimal Crossingwouldn’t let island anniversaries go unnoticed, seeing as there are always individual birthday parties for players and villagers, so that’s something players can probably count on. But, it would still be nice if Nintendo chose to celebrate the actual game’s anniversary, especially after the year everyone has had and the huge difference it made at the start of the pandemic. No announcements have been made other than theSanrio villagers, available on March 26, but there’s still time to do something big on March 20.
