Summary
Part of what makes theAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsandAnimal Crossing’s series so engaging are seasonal changes the game undergoes in real-time and the special events that occur on holidays during those seasons.Animal Crossing: New Horizonsdeviated from the series past by introducing seasonal updates that would add new content periodically in the months following the game’s release. However, these updates never had a set release schedule and only lasted for a little over a year after launch, so the nextAnimal Crossinggame could improve this aspect of the series by going all-in on the seasonal content model and following a live-service-style approach.
A major criticism ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswas the lack of content at launch and the inconsistent trickle of updates the game received afterward. Although the live-service model can be somewhat controversial with many players lamenting the need to purchase additional content, theAnimal Crossingseries could definitely benefit from a more consistent approach to its post-launch content updates. While therumored surprise update forAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswould be exciting, a focus on consistent, seasonal updates would help with the overall longevity of a future game.
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A Seasonal Content Model Would be a Natural Fit for the Next Animal Crossing Game
As a series that is known for its real-time, constantly changing world,Animal Crossingplayersare already used to checking back in on the game periodically to see how their town has changed with each season. Checking out the seasonal weather along with what kinds of new fish and bugs can be caught is a regular part of theAnimal Crossingexperience.Animal Crossing: New Horizonslaid the foundation for seasonal updates to be something more defined by including new furniture, clothing, and events with many of its updates that a future game could adapt into a full-blown season pass model.
SomeAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsupdates were more content-heavy than others, such as the Fall 2020 Free Update that added a variety of new Halloween-themed items, new emotes, and theHalloween event featuring Jack. Comparatively, this update was much more robust compared to some of the other smaller monthly updates like the game’s first major update that added the infamous Bunny Day seasonal event. If a futureAnimal Crossinggame were to lean into the live-service seasonal content model, most updates would have to follow the Fall 2020 Free Update’s path and introduce a wide array of content to be worth players' time.
Like with most live-service content models, the method by which players are able to access this content can be controversial since most live-service games tend to lock new content behind a paid Season Pass. It’s possible a futureAnimal Crossinggame could go the route of paid seasonal content given thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsbroke the mold and featured the series' first paid expansion in the form of theHappy Home Paradise DLC. A more likely scenario would be to model a live-serviceAnimal Crossingafter a game likeDiablo 4where the only content locked behind a paywall is cosmetic with events and gameplay changes available for free.
A seasonal update model wouldn’t need to rely on the real-world seasons for content either sinceAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsfeatured a content update themed around theMarioseries and added related items for players to collect. Some seasons of a futureAnimal Crossinggame could be based on otherNintendo series likeThe Legend of Zelda,Splatoon, orMetroid. With the future of the series still unknown, the nextAnimal Crossinggame may be at a crossroads where it must choose between releasing free updates of inconsistent quality, or more robust content updates locked behind a paid live-service model.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available for Nintendo Switch.
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