| JackHandy said: The mainstream adoption of Animal Crossing. I bought the original on Gamecube back in 2002 and fell in love with it. I would always fantasize about one day, the franchise getting the recognition it deserved. COVD and Switch made that possible. It made me happy. |
My girlfriend has never gamed in her life. She had seen me playing Breath of the Wild and was slightly interested, mostly in the idea of “collecting sparklies.” I showed her the Animal Crossing reveal in 2019 and within a day she had ordered a Switch online without even telling me. Her first game was Stardew Valley, but Animal Crossing was her salvation during that time and she often says it was one of her best decisions. Many of my friends were scrambling to buy a Switch during that time, oftentimes paying $100-$200 over list price.
Animal Crossing has always been a gateway game for non gamers, but New Horizons (even without COVID) is a special game that brought so many people into the hobby that we’ll be talking about its importance for gens to come.
Here’s hoping Nintendo can reach those heights (if not in sales, in fun) with its follow up, which sadly I don’t see arriving until late 2026 or early 2027.
Last edited by super_etecoon - 3 days ago
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