# Is ACNH dying?



## IslaYuka (May 1, 2021)

Am I the only one who's worried this game is dying? The game is just over a year old now but it feels like 80% doesnt ever play anymore. I know the situation with the pandemic was exceptional and contributed to the game's massive popularity back in spring 2020. It just makes me sad that we're 1 year into the game's lifespan and nobody cares anymore.

Here on the forums the difference in activity (especially in the new neighbour network) is also huge. Don't get me wrong it really makes sense offcourse since most people have 'maxed out' in the game and have all the villagers and the island they want. But I really hope ACNH will get major updates to bring back interest again because I love this game too much to just see it die. 

Maybe Nintendo can add Brewster, Tortimer island with new bugs/fish to collect and multiplayer activities, maybe even 2 extra villager slots but that seems unlikely.

What do you all think?


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## lemoncrossing (May 1, 2021)

I agree with what you said— I think the “dying” is in part due to the fact that New Horizons was very much a trend at the beginning of the pandemic. People who’d never played a video game were buying Switches just to play NH. As with all fads, it died down after several months, and a lot of people who hopped on the bandwagon will likely never touch the game again.

The other thing is that NH hasn’t been getting a lot of engaging content updates to keep people coming back. The summer update last year brought back a ton of people who’d stopped playing in spring, because it added new things to do. Since our updates are pretty much only new furniture, I don’t see a lot of people getting hyped enough to make a return.

Overall though, I don’t think it’s dying out. Trading websites, dodo code sites, and NH Discord servers are still wildly active. Trading and online play are still pretty prominent. It may have lost some popularity with the bandwagon fans, but NH has become so mainstream & popular that I think there will always be a community for it. I mean, take a look at New Leaf— it wasn’t nearly as successful or popular, but it still has a somewhat active community.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

Personally I think that a game making it past the 1 year mark with people still playing it daily is incredible.

Like, yesterday I bought pokemon snap, which costs the same as new horizons, and I've pretty much completed it already.
I'm not complaining that I've finished snap, it was worth the money. But when you compare the 2 games, it really shows how much value you get for your money in new horizons.

Its sad that it can't just last forever, but everything comes to an end at some point.
I dont know that I agree its "dying", but by the very nature of the game, animal crossing doesn't have a longer life span than a year. And a year is very impressive.

If it was a subscription game I would feel differently. But since the updates are free, I'm grateful for anything we get now all the holidays are in.


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## Mick (May 1, 2021)

What happened to NH is that it got a big wave of hype, bringing in lots of people who'd never even heard of the series. It happens to a lot of games that suddenly become the new popular thing, and it's always temporary.

A lot of people are definitely done with this game and that's healthy if you ask me! Not everyone likes playing the same thing for hundreds of hours or for more than a few months. That isn't really to blame on the games themselves (although updates definitely can bring back some of that initial hype).

It's definitely not a dead game, though, far from it. There are fewer players, yes, but still a _lot_ of people active. It just isn't as crazy as when seemingly everyone was playing.


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## Fruitcup (May 1, 2021)

I feel like usually AC is a game where not many people make it past the year mark. Sometimes all of the mundane activities just aren't actioned packed or different enough for people to stay engaged. I also feel that many new players joined because of the original hype around the game and now that it's over not many people stuck around.
I've always played AC but this is the first time I've made it through a whole year with little to no breaks and I've completed a lot in my town so maybe those who liked the game also left because they feel like they finished their game.


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## VanitasFan26 (May 1, 2021)

You know its funny. I made a thread over a month ago about my worries and concerns about this game and I remember people saying "Oh there is nothing to worry about" and "Oh what you are talking about the updates will come" but I just need to really say how I really feel at the moment. I really hate to be a Debbie Downer, but we haven't seen anything "Surprising" or "New" so far this year. The updates this year just feel so sparse compared to last year. I really want to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt because they are trying to at least say that they are supporting the game, but what we got just now is another small update. Its fine to have new items, but again if you're like me and you played this game last year the events are going to be the same as before. Yes I know its traditional in AC games to have events repeated, thats not the issue I have here. What I have an issue with is how Nintendo still refuses to put out a trailer and gives us screenshots of what to expect and of course its just new items. Still no new features or anything else we haven't seen before.

Of course there is something to be happy about getting new items, but of course just like always its just another item that you will have fun for a few hours and get bored of it quickly. This does not surprise me one bit because I knew that these events like the May Day, Stamp Rally, and Wedding season was going to be returning and anyone who was hoping for a 2.0 update is going to be very disappointed. I don't know what else to say, but this game is really becoming more stale and boring in 2021. Truth be told I have taken a break from this game for the past few months and I want to get back into but it just doesn't give me a reason to play it again when it lacks new features and refreshing content to enjoy. All this speculation is really getting tiring and repetitive to the point where it doesn't really give my hopes up for anything. I love New Horizons, but I will have to say that its really getting stale and not much is going on because of the lack of new content and features.


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## _Donut_ (May 1, 2021)

Personally I think it's normal for any game to have a larger interest around launch and then settle down a little. As you said, most people (including me finally this week =D) have collected everything there is to do so that now leaves people to enjoy the game for it's core "feel" as in; talking to villagers, doing daily chores, working on your island & playing together, etc... and thus there will now be people who fell in love with the franchise and continue to play, people who'll play it on the "down low" (look at me with these cool kids words) and finally people who got their money's worth and moved on to other games.

I feel like there is still a very active community in trading & on the forums here even if not everything is actually IN game but just vibing with other members. I've also seen a video about there being some codes regarding a new nooklings shop & brewster hidden in the game so yeah I guess some big updates are still to come, feels like it indeed starts to be time to actually release them, though.


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## 0ni (May 1, 2021)

I agree with what other folks are saying here - the fact it's still got a fairly active player base 1 year on is impressive. A lot of games barely last past the first few months, and the ones that do usually have very active online elements. AC has it's online capabilities of course, but it's a lot more laid back, usually games with competitive play have people coming back for more - AC obviously doesn't have that so there isn't a draw to keep people coming back from that point of view. For other players this game (and past entries in the franchise) have a lot of longevity, but they have to be people that are generally committed to the AC play style.

I think what is happening now is less a dying franchise, and more a franchise thats player base is shrinking down to those committed players that are always going to be around and playing it in some capacity. It just feels extra stark this time around because of the absolute whirlwind of activity there was surrounding this game during the height of the pandemic. Like Lemoncrossing said, The game attracted a lot of players that maybe didn't even own switches before, or had never touched an AC game in the past. I imagine quite few of them aren't around playing anymore and aren't the type to be inclined to stick with a single game for such a long time.

I also feel AC will get a big update eventually, there is so much that can still be added. That will attract a lot of players back. I just don't know when that update will happen - could be soon, could be a ways away like the Welcome Amiibo update for New Leaf which released like 4 years after the base game lol.


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## WaileaNoRei (May 1, 2021)

I don’t feel like the game is dying, personally, far from it. I think it is pretty impressive how many people still play if not daily than multiple times a week.

the number of people who have played over 1000 hours of the game in a year is frankly amazing to me - how many games are there that truly get that amount of engagement from users in one year? (I realize many games have more bounded gameplay so it would not make sense)

I’ve played 1700 hours and am still playing daily. I have played a lot of games but few held my attention for long and I have never considered myself a serious gamer. I basically heard about the game because my husband was bored during the lockdown.

I think naturally many people who jumped on the fad will have stopped playing, as others have mentioned that is the nature of fads. but I think it brought a lot of new people into the player base as well. People also may still be engaged but have had more normal life responsibilities return which limits game play and/ or forum participation (this is also the case for me).

I also think the lower engagement on here is part of a natural cycle. When the game first came out you naturally had way more people looking to figure things out, excited to discuss every aspect, and needing/ wanting items and villagers. But now the standard answers we need are all well established, people either have most of what they want or are happy getting it on their own, and there is honestly only so many things to dissect and discuss (but look how excited we all still get to discuss our favorite villagers or a new update)

I see people still engaging here daily and each update brings a fresh flurry of discussion, that seems like just a settling into the long term lifecycle of the community.

But people still seem to care so much! To me even the fact that people are logging in to complain and express impatience shows how engaged people still are. If they’d really given up on the game they wouldn’t care enough to complain anymore!


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## Chris (May 1, 2021)

I wouldn't consider it dying; in fact I'm actually amazed at how popular it still is one year on. _Animal Crossing_ (like many simulation games) is one that many people tend to play in waves: taking interest in it for a few weeks, going away from a few months, coming back to it again, etc. Some people have still yet to discover the game too due to a lack of Nintendo Switch.

I only touch it now and then when I've specific goals in mind, but it's still lasted me longer than _New Leaf _- which I was pretty much done with by September 2013.


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## IslaYuka (May 1, 2021)

WaileaNoRei said:


> But people still seem to care so much! To me even the fact that people are logging in to complain and express impatience shows how engaged people still are. If they’d really given up on the game they wouldn’t care enough to complain anymore!



Do you mean I'm complaining and expressing impatience or isn't that about me? I'm a bit confused lol.

And thank you all for the comments. It's really nice to see reassurance that the game is not actually dying!


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## WaileaNoRei (May 1, 2021)

IslaYuka said:


> Do you mean I'm complaining and expressing impatience or isn't that about me? I'm a bit confused lol.
> 
> And thank you all for the comments. It's really nice to see reassurance that the game is not actually dying!



Oh my goodness, no no no! I did not even consider it could be read that way, because I did not see your thread as a complaint thread, more like a concerned conversation starter.

I just meant in general we see a lot of complaint threads these days, but I don’t think that indicates a dying of the game!


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## skarmoury (May 1, 2021)

Echoing the other sentiments here — a year-old game with still a good amount of players is pretty impressive in itself. All games in general die at some point, some longer than others, and while it‘s okay to assume that a lot of the people who own ACNH don’t play it anymore, I wouldn’t consider it dying quickly or anything. I would say give it another year or two to worry about the game dying. With the constant updates so far the players still have a reason to go back to ACNH.


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## King koopa (May 1, 2021)

I don't think it's dying because Nintendo is still updating it once a month. If it was dying, Nintendo wouldn't care at all and never update the game, which would make lots of people mad, including myself. They just started adding stuff in, so I think the game will probably last untill late 2023, early 2024.


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## IslaYuka (May 1, 2021)

WaileaNoRei said:


> Oh my goodness, no no no! I did not even consider it could be read that way, because I did not see your thread as a complaint thread, more like a concerned conversation starter.
> 
> I just meant in general we see a lot of complaint threads these days, but I don’t think that indicates a dying of the game!



It's all good no worries!  It was just misread on my part then so sorry about that.


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## moo_nieu (May 1, 2021)

i dont think it will die until the next animal crossing game is released (hoping for vr crossing bc that would be really cool ;-; )


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## coldpotato (May 1, 2021)

It is losing people for sure. None of my friends or family members play anymore and we all used to play regularly and set up times to visit each others islands and such. I've noticed a lot of twitch streamers or youtubers switch to other games to stream because of the burnout/boredom. The hardcore fans that do stick around are mostly grasping at any little thing they can do because of the lack of new gameplay. They redo their islands over and over again to try to entertain themselves. Even youtube channels that post news and commentary about the game have started posting datamine information in videos because of the lack of interesting update content. 

It is kind of sad to see. I do hope Nintendo will release something big to get people excited about the game again.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

coldpotato said:


> The hardcore fans that do stick around are mostly grasping at any little thing they can do because of the lack of new gameplay. They redo their islands over and over again to try to entertain themselves.


I'm going to have to disagree with this.
I dont think most people who still play daily are grasping to find anything to do.
I've never torn down my island to remake it.
I've changed parts I wasn't too fond of but thats totally the spirit of the game. Last time I did this was 2 months ago. Still playing daily.

I think lots of us are still genuinely enjoying the game.


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## Khaelis (May 1, 2021)

Due to the pandemic, Animal Crossing introduced a lot of people to the series for various reasons. First timers wanting something to do, content creators on various sites milking it for content, etc.

The people who are still playing the games are the long-time fans of the series, which are people like us who stuck around.


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## coldpotato (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I'm going to have to disagree with this.
> I dont think most people who still play daily are grasping to find anything to do.
> I've never torn down my island to remake it.
> I've changed parts I wasn't too fond of but thats totally the spirit of the game. Last time I did this was 2 months ago. Still playing daily.
> ...



That's great. That was just my observation of hardcore fans/people I've seen who have been playing the game since release and are still playing.


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## Ossiran (May 1, 2021)

It's been over a year since release now. Many people have completed everything in the museum or are only missing art, they've made their island how they want, have all the villagers they want, etc. It's not surprising to see activity dying. People have pumped hundreds of hours into their save files, so they're starting to feel the burnout.

Once Nintendo releases the 2.0 update, I expect activity to increase again. But until then, expect activity to slowly die down with every passing day.


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## Miss Misty (May 1, 2021)

I don't think it's dying, no. It's not as popular as it once was because it became a trend and the trendhoppers have moved onto new stuff, but it's still getting a lot more media attention and likely playtime than other trendy games that were released within the same timeframe such as Doom Eternal and Final Fantasy VII.


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## Etown20 (May 1, 2021)

Like others have mentioned, it's rare for a game to last this long. A large percent of the audience has stopped playing, but that is to be expected, and I think it's just more noticeable because the initial crowd was so large in the first place.

The only games I can think of that last for years with a large community are living games or games with online multiplayer. I think there's a case to be made that the Animal Crossing series could benefit from a more contemporary structure like this, but I don't think New Horizons was designed to be that type of game.


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## Airysuit (May 1, 2021)

Personally I don't think so. I feel it is way more active now than ACNL was after a year (I only started playing NL a year after it came out) and like people said before, sooo many active discord channels! I even had to downsize the amount of channels because i couldn't keep up with the all activity. 

I do kinda miss the major activity at the beginning, and get why it feels like its "dying" now. But I'm actually happy a lot of the masses are gone and only the more committed players are still playing. Feels more safe to trade and just overal easier to stay in touch with the community when it's smaller imo


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## Corrie (May 1, 2021)

The fact that it had boomed due to covid, makes it seem so but there are still active players. It's just more so "the regular fans" sticking around. I mean, even me, a "regular fan" has played less and less. Just has kinda gotten stale to me.


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## Red Cat (May 1, 2021)

I used to play regularly, but I haven't played in over a month. Once the one-year mark passed, I felt like I've seen everything the game has to offer. I didn't bother with Bunny Day since it's basically the same thing as last year. I'll give the new May Day maze a try, but that probably won't last long. I feel like this game really needs a shot in the arm. Piecemeal updates won't do it anymore because the seasonal changes and holidays don't mean as much anymore. I got my hopes up when they brought Leif, Redd, and diving back, but then they just stopped. The furniture options are still disappointing, Nook's Cranny is still stuck on level 2, and there are still only 5 buildings + the campsite which is rarely occupied. ACNH feels more empty and depressing with each day that passes. I keep waiting for that big splash, but each noteworthy date passes without much changing. I mean, they sent us a cake in the mail for the one-year anniversary. Yay... I know WA came years after NL was released, but that felt more like a cherry on top and less of a necessity. NH feels like it has a big hole missing in it, and I'm growing less optimistic that it will ever be filled.


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## Alicia (May 1, 2021)

I played everyday from release until about August when I realized I burned myself out and wanted to play other games. I still love animal crossing, I just don't actively play it currently. There will probably be a time where I return to animal crossing and play a lot again, this is how it seems to be for me. I used to do the same thing with New Leaf and the games before them.


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## Bilaz (May 1, 2021)

Nah it’s not dying and it won’t die until the next game is released. You only need like, 30 members for a thriving community believe it or not


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## RollingAntony (May 1, 2021)

Of course not. The game is still selling a lot, so new players are constantly coming around to replace players who have understandably moved on to other games. Next Friday we'll get new numbers, New Horizons probably sold another 2 million or so since December. (It's probably going to be more than that, Japan alone has 250k+ without digital but better to be safe than sorry)

The level of hype, discussion and general awareness of New Horizons is never going to be similar to the first months- between new game-feel, first ww lockdown and the wave of new players to the franchise trying it out (*raises hand*), it was the perfect combination.


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## JKDOS (May 1, 2021)

I think it's just the hype that has died, and a some of the people who bought the game because of hype have moved on.


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## Serabee (May 1, 2021)

Ugh, I hate questions phrased like this... no offense, of course, but it just irks me that people seem to either think a game is all anyone talks about, or it's dead. And it often feels like such a pointed question- either you agree, or you're in denial. At least, that's my personal experience anyway. I'm not trying to accuse anyone of doing that here.

Anyway, ACNH isn't as popular as it was when it first came out, but that's normal. That happens to most games. Add to that the fact that the completely unprecedented state of the world during it's initial release made it significantly more popular than ANYONE expected. It still has a pretty sizable fan community, and I see it continuing to have one for awhile. Add to that the fact that Nintendo is (slowly) releasing updates, it has the potential to get more popular again in the future.

From my experience, games like this (with a lot of content, and more content added regularly/semi-regularly) tend to have ebbs and flows in popularity. There isn't so much a "dying" (which, again, feels like SUCH a loaded term) as a natural interest that wanes. If/when Nintendo releases big updates- the farming that's been rumored, more NPCs, The Roost, more holidays/events, etc.- people are going to see that and say "huh, I haven't played in awhile... maybe I'll see if the update's any good" or "I didn't want the game before, but dang, that looks cool... maybe I should give it a shot now" and it'll pick up in popularity again. Then people will play the heck out of all the new content and move on to other games. And then the cycle continues.

And here's the thing with ACNH- early on, Nintendo confirmed AT LEAST two years worth of updates were planned. This game has been a huge moneymaker for them. Even the most cynical of players can see that it's a huge deal. I have a feeling we'll all be saying "For Nook's sake, it's been ____ years, LET IT DIE ALREADY, NINTENDO" before we're lamenting that this game died too soon. If anything, I imagine Nintendo will be releasing new updates (and, if I had to guess, at least some paid DLC) for a long time to milk every last cent out of this game. I mean, just look at ACNL- how long was it between games? They revived that old game, which was already pretty great, with an update years into it before they made a new one. I can't imagine ACNH is going to be any different.


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## IslaYuka (May 1, 2021)

Serabee said:


> Ugh, I hate questions phrased like this... no offense, of course, but it just irks me that people seem to either think a game is all anyone talks about, or it's dead. And it often feels like such a pointed question- either you agree, or you're in denial. At least, that's my personal experience anyway. I'm not trying to accuse anyone of doing that here.
> 
> Anyway, ACNH isn't as popular as it was when it first came out, but that's normal. That happens to most games. Add to that the fact that the completely unprecedented state of the world during it's initial release made it significantly more popular than ANYONE expected. It still has a pretty sizable fan community, and I see it continuing to have one for awhile. Add to that the fact that Nintendo is (slowly) releasing updates, it has the potential to get more popular again in the future.
> 
> ...



 To be honest I really really hope you're right on this. It just makes me sad to think one of my favorite games is "dying". I also hate that term btw but it's commonly used for games who decline in popularity at a fast rate so couldn't really think of anything else.

For me, I get enjoyment from the game in that I still have to begin decorating my island. I now have 10 villagers I'm happy with and ready to begin getting inspirated. But it's just a depressing thought to play a game when you have the feeling most of people don't care about it anymore. I mean let's face it who likes it when you proudly show your friend your island after so many hours of work and then get a reaction "wait people are still playing that game?".


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

Serabee said:


> Ugh, I hate questions phrased like this... no offense, of course, but it just irks me that people seem to either think a game is all anyone talks about, or it's dead. And it often feels like such a pointed question- either you agree, or you're in denial. At least, that's my personal experience anyway. I'm not trying to accuse anyone of doing that here.
> 
> Anyway, ACNH isn't as popular as it was when it first came out, but that's normal. That happens to most games. Add to that the fact that the completely unprecedented state of the world during it's initial release made it significantly more popular than ANYONE expected. It still has a pretty sizable fan community, and I see it continuing to have one for awhile. Add to that the fact that Nintendo is (slowly) releasing updates, it has the potential to get more popular again in the future.
> 
> ...


I dont think they meant it as a negative thread as they responded very positively when people disagreed that the game was dying.
I think it was more a fear that their love of something was getting phased out of the public eye.

But since we are all here, happy and loving the game, they will always have people to be excited with


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## Serabee (May 1, 2021)

IslaYuka said:


> To be honest I really really hope you're right on this. It just makes me sad to think one of my favorite games is "dying". I also hate that term btw but it's commonly used for games who decline in popularity at a fast rate so couldn't really think of anything else.
> 
> For me, I get enjoyment from the game in that I still have to begin decorating my island. I now have 10 villagers I'm happy with and ready to begin getting inspirated. But it's just a depressing thought to play a game when you have the feeling most of people don't care about it anymore. I mean let's face it who likes it when you proudly show your friend your island after so many hours of work and then get a reaction "wait people are still playing that game?".


Like I said, ACNH has been a completely different kind of game then any previous Animal Crossing title. Before, instead of "people are still playing that?", if you brought up AC games, you tended to get, "you play what? what the heck is that?" There are always people who only seem interested in THE newest, most popular game. And once they stop playing a game, they never play again, and judge anyone who still does. But I feel like they're the exception, not the rule. AC games tend to have some of the most devoted fans, but the player base in general also tends to be rather small. The pandemic just happened to make this one into a total phenomenon (did I... did I spell that right? Holy cow) and now it seems like it's "dying" because we're no longer seeing videos of Danny Trejo playing it. But now it's more like most AC games- quiet, but with a cozy and passionate community. AC games are quirky, niche games. They're never gonna be the next Fortnite or... IDK, whatever's replaced that. But Nintendo generally does a good job of ensuring that people who play AC can enjoy it for years to come.

I mean, I could be wrong, sure. But I'd be willing to bet actual money that Nintendo will continue working on this game for quite awhile. And I'm also willing to bet, when they stop, it'll be because there's a new Animal Crossing (or similar) game that's ready to take it's place.


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## cocoacat (May 1, 2021)

No, it's not dying.  I don't know the numbers, but millions of players still play, there's updates still coming, and the game is still selling.

20 years ago I played an MMO and every so often people would ask "is it dead?" The game is still online 20 years later... so. Granted it doesn't have the numbers it did in its best days, but if you play it and you're having fun, it's not dead.


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## Serabee (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I dont think they meant it as a negative thread as they responded very positively when people disagreed that the game was dying.
> I think it was more a fear that their love of something was getting phased out of the public eye.
> 
> But since we are all here, happy and loving the game, they will always have people to be excited with


Oh, no, like I said- I didn't think this was meant to be negative at all. I've just had bad experiences with people who use those type of questions as a way to mock people who are "in denial". As if anyone who plays a game that's more then a few months old is totally nuts and not hip or cool or whatever enough.

But, like they said, the terminology is just pretty common. I wasn't trying to complain about this thread at all- I was complaining about the terminology/trend in general that leads people to panic that they're favorite games are suddenly gonna "die"! With a few exceptions (like MMOs that go offline), games don't "die". They just become less popular and maybe stop being updated (but I'm 29, so I'm still enamored with games that get ANY updates- back in my day, you got the game you bought, and with the exception of expensive expansion packs, that was IT) 

Heck, I've heard there's still a pretty devoted community for Super Smash Bros... Melee, I think? Whatever the GC version was. And that game's practically ancient at this point!


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## IslaYuka (May 1, 2021)

Serabee said:


> Oh, no, like I said- I didn't think this was meant to be negative at all. I've just had bad experiences with people who use those type of questions as a way to mock people who are "in denial". As if anyone who plays a game that's more then a few months old is totally nuts and not hip or cool or whatever enough.
> 
> But, like they said, the terminology is just pretty common. I wasn't trying to complain about this thread at all- I was complaining about the terminology/trend in general that leads people to panic that they're favorite games are suddenly gonna "die"! With a few exceptions (like MMOs that go offline), games don't "die". They just become less popular and maybe stop being updated (but I'm 29, so I'm still enamored with games that get ANY updates- back in my day, you got the game you bought, and with the exception of expensive expansion packs, that was IT)
> 
> Heck, I've heard there's still a pretty devoted community for Super Smash Bros... Melee, I think? Whatever the GC version was. And that game's practically ancient at this point!



Super Smash Bros Melee indeed still has a (small) community! While it was a GC game so it didn't have any updates possible. I'm really glad so many people reassured me that ACNH is not dying.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

Serabee said:


> Oh, no, like I said- I didn't think this was meant to be negative at all. I've just had bad experiences with people who use those type of questions as a way to mock people who are "in denial". As if anyone who plays a game that's more then a few months old is totally nuts and not hip or cool or whatever enough.
> 
> But, like they said, the terminology is just pretty common. I wasn't trying to complain about this thread at all- I was complaining about the terminology/trend in general that leads people to panic that they're favorite games are suddenly gonna "die"! With a few exceptions (like MMOs that go offline), games don't "die". They just become less popular and maybe stop being updated (but I'm 29, so I'm still enamored with games that get ANY updates- back in my day, you got the game you bought, and with the exception of expensive expansion packs, that was IT)
> 
> Heck, I've heard there's still a pretty devoted community for Super Smash Bros... Melee, I think? Whatever the GC version was. And that game's practically ancient at this point!


I'm with you on the updates thing
I'm 25 so growing up with a gameboy and a ps1, there were no updates. You liked the game or you didn't. No changes would ever happen
I feel we're a bit spoilt now because of them aha

But since we are getting updates, I'm so happy to see new stuff and I'm so glad the game is constantly getting new life put into it.

I didnt like any of the new items this time around. But I like to visit dreams. And I've seen so many dreams now with the fish banner item. It just shows how even the smallest of updates can affect players


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## PugLovex (May 1, 2021)

it was quite popular and trending earlier, but i feel as though many rushed the game, therefore losing interest in it. i feel a lot were newer players too, which would explain how they would lose interest and not see as much to do in the game as someone who has been playing a while wouldnt ^^


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

PugLovex said:


> i feel a lot were newer players too, which would explain how they would lose interest and not see as much to do in the game as someone who has been playing a while wouldnt ^^


Yeah I completely agree with this
When you take into account that new horizons has sold more copies than every other entry in the series combined.
It makes sense that there would be a lot of people who did not get the spirit of the game and want to see it through to the end.


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## meggiewes (May 1, 2021)

I think a lot of people only stick with a game like AC for about a year. So, this is the end of its lifespan for many people.

Then you have the people who just love the game or drift in and out of it for several years before getting bored with it.

The same thing happened with New Leaf.

However, AC always has a good community n people playing it. You just have to find them through sites like this one.


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## Khaelis (May 1, 2021)

meggiewes said:


> I think a lot of people only stick with a game like AC for about a year. So, this is the end of its lifespan for many people.
> 
> Then you have the people who just love the game or drift in and out of it for several years before getting bored with it.
> 
> ...



As much as I love the series, after I played my first island for almost a full year and catching everything in the Critterpedia and not really being able to do much with my island's design I decided to take a small break and restart, but I've one problem.

That problem? Monster Hunter Rise came out, lol.


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

I think the game had great success during launch, and even though 80/90% of those buyers don't play this game anymore, Nintendo still made crazy money from it. As others have said its completely natural for people to lose interest in a game over time, and its amazing that ACNH did keep players playing the game daily for as long as they did.

However I think the fact that Nintendo is still updating the game and wants to put out more content for at least another year is kind of ridiculous. They seem to be under this illusion that each update they put out is drawing more players back in to the game, when in reality based on what I've been reading online, its pushing people out. The new updates suck frankly, especially the 2021ones, and don't do enough to entice majority of their fans who stopped playing to pick up the game again, and seem to further anger current fans who are desperately hoping for more than one new feature per update. What they really should have done is, instead of sporadic updates with only half an hour or less of new content, saved all these small updates and release a huge update a year from now (kind of like the amiibo update in New Leaf) that has a plethora of new events, gameplay, QOL upgrades, and more. THAT would get players back into ACNH since it would be more than just "let me buy this new seasonal item, put it in my house, then dip." I mean, just imagine if there were no updates last year or this year, and then next spring they release a huge 2 year anniversary update with Redd, Leif, Gullivaar, Pascal, diving, art, nook cranny upgrades, Kapp'n's island, farming with at least 10 crops, new QOL life updates, new villagers, new DIYs and new furniture. People would flock back to the game so fast lol.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

sleepydreepy said:


> They seem to be under this illusion that each update they put out is drawing more players back in to the game, when in reality based on what I've been reading online, its pushing people out


I dont mean to be rude to anyone 
But frankly if anyone is against small updates adding new items, then they deserve to be laughed at.
Its pathetic how some people react to getting new items. They act like it's not enough.

I would not blame nintendo if they never did free updates again based on how awful some people are about them


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## Dunquixote (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I dont mean to be rude to anyone
> But frankly if anyone is against small updates adding new items, then they deserve to be laughed at.
> Its pathetic how some people react to getting new items. They act like it's not enough.
> 
> I would not blame nintendo if they never did free updates again based on how awful some people are about them



No one deserves to be laughed at. Bullying or disrespect of any form of different opinions is one against the rules and two unacceptable. I recall you said you had no problem with people who dislike the game or updates, yet I find this as well as many of your other posts extremely disrespectful.


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I dont mean to be rude to anyone
> But frankly if anyone is against small updates adding new items, then they deserve to be laughed at.
> Its pathetic how some people react to getting new items. They act like it's not enough.
> 
> I would not blame nintendo if they never did free updates again based on how awful some people are about them


Yeah the frequent update plan seems to be very unsuccessful, I think mostly because people hype themselves up too much and expect a lot only to be sorely disappointed. 

As for being against the small updates, I think one of the reasons people are rejecting them (including myself) is because they aren't interested in the new items being released, and the new events take less than 20 minutes to complete. I don't think that is "pathetic," just people expecting more from a franchise that use to wow them in the past.  Somewhat of a side note, but I still wonder why Nintendo doesn't incorporate furniture and designs from Pocket Camp that were well loved into this game.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

Dunquixote said:


> No one deserves to be laughed at. Bullying or disrespect of any form of different opinions is one against the rules and two unacceptable. I recall you said you had no problem with people who dislike the game or updates, yet I find this as well as many of your other posts extremely disrespectful.


I'm not against people disliking things.
I honestly think it's fine for people to do so.

But when it comes to stuff like free updates, which is free, and only gives to the player, then I find it very hard to have any respect for those who are against it.

I just dont get how anyone can get something for free, and then complain it's not up to their standards.

Not liking it I get. Complaining I don't at all.
Its just so far beyond me when people have an attitude that they deserve so much more.

Perhaps I could be more respectful, but to me, to get something for free... if you spit it back in the person's face and berate them for it... yeah I don't like them as people


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I'm not against people disliking things.
> I honestly think it's fine for people to do so.
> 
> But when it comes to stuff like free updates, which is free, and only gives to the player, then I find it very hard to have any respect for those who are against it.
> ...



I paid around $60 to play ACNH (plus continue to pay the online membership to play with others) so its not like I'm getting all this content for free. I am holding Nintendo to a certain standard because of it, and when I don't like something in their game, I have a right to complain about it.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

sleepydreepy said:


> I paid around $60 to play ACNH, so its not like I'm getting all this content for free. I am holding Nintendo to a certain standard because of it, and when I don't like something in their game, I have a right to complain about it.


I cant disagree with that.
I only wish people would understand that what they want isn't what everyone wants. And that to lots of people this is a near perfect game.

So to me its all about attitude.
If you want something else that's fair. But it doesn't mean the game is objectively bad.


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## TheDuke55 (May 1, 2021)

This is getting out of hand. Why is it so hard for everyone just to accept that not everyone is going to see things the same way?

The game's popularity is definitely dying from when it began. Nintendo brought the game out at the right time and capitalized on the pandemic. People who would never had gotten this game did so because of the situation and lockdown. Social media also hyped up this game way more then any of the other Animal Crossing titles ever and possibly combined.

There are so many people who are probably long gone and have their game collecting dust and never to see the light. I do Civil War reenactments. When the movie Gettysburg came out, the Gettysburg anniversary for that year was huge. So many people just bought all the gear, uniforms, and whatnot. Did the one event and never participated in another one. That was many many years before I got into reenacting. I wish I was there or could see an event as big as that one. It was probably amazing seeing 40,000 some soldiers. It probably looked like a real battle.

Same thing applies to NH. They're 'fans' but only so much as it was the newest fad. So the fame died down, but it's not dead. The game still has like 3 more years of shell-life possibly.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

TheDuke55 said:


> This is getting out of hand. Why is it so hard for everyone just to accept that not everyone is going to see things the same way?
> 
> The game's popularity is definitely dying from when it began. Nintendo brought the game out at the right time and capitalized on the pandemic. People who would never had gotten this game did so because of the situation and lockdown. Social media also hyped up this game way more then any of the other Animal Crossing titles ever and possibly combined.
> 
> ...


If this is somewhat about my comments then I agree I've been a grumpy jerk.
It just annoys me when people talk like their negative opinions are a matter of fact.

Its totally cool to not like the game.
I just wish more people would also respect the fact there is still a game there that people love. So while it's not what they wanted, to others it is great.


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I cant disagree with that.
> I only wish people would understand that what they want isn't what everyone wants. And that to lots of people this is a near perfect game.
> 
> So to me its all about attitude.
> If you want something else that's fair. But it doesn't mean the game is objectively bad.


Exactly, people want different things and have different opinions, all of which are valid.  Therefore its wrong to say that anyone who thinks the free updates are trash is "pathetic." Not long after ACNH was announced, Nintendo said they would be releasing a base version of the game March 2020, and then promised "at least 2 years" of content updates, which would be included in the ~$60 release price. Personally I am not satisfied with the quality of these updates, and like to express my opinions about why online. That doesn't make me pathetic, nor should you "lose respect" for me either. Some people love this game, other people hate it, but neither opinion is "wrong." It's entirely subjective.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

sleepydreepy said:


> Exactly, people want different things and have different opinions, all of which are valid.  Therefore its wrong of you to say that anyone who thinks the free updates are trash is "pathetic." Not long after ACNH was announced, Nintendo said they would be releasing a base version of the game March 2020, and then promised "at least 2 years" of content updates, which would be included in the ~$60 release price. Personally I am not satisfied with the quality of these updates, and like to express my opinions about why online. That doesn't make me pathetic, nor should you "lose respect" for me either. Some people love this game, other people hate it, but neither opinion is "wrong." It's entirely subjective.


I was too harsh there and I'm sorry.
I get fed up of seeing such things and I did lash out.

Its just that in the past, people would like a game or not like it. They would then move on.
But because of the updates, people seem to be holding nintendo to a standard of whatever it is they personally want. And they then complain when they dont get it.

But from my point of view, the game is already great and the updates are the cherry on top of the cake.

So when people complain that their free stuff isn't what they want... it doesn't feel like it comes from a place of mutual respect.


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## TheDuke55 (May 1, 2021)

sleepydreepy said:


> Exactly, people want different things and have different opinions, all of which are valid.  Therefore its wrong of you to say that anyone who thinks the free updates are trash is "pathetic." Not long after ACNH was announced, Nintendo said they would be releasing a base version of the game March 2020, and then promised "at least 2 years" of content updates, which would be included in the ~$60 release price. Personally I am not satisfied with the quality of these updates, and like to express my opinions about why online. That doesn't make me pathetic, nor should you "lose respect" for me either. Some people love this game, other people hate it, but neither opinion is "wrong." It's entirely subjective.


Is there an article or something about Nintendo/the NH crew stating they planned on releasing a base version of the game? I don't recall ever seeing something like that, but I have heard them mention 'planning updates for 2-3 years' Not that I'm discrediting you. I'm just curious, as I hadn't heard that.

Moritz, not that I'm discrediting you either, but I haven't seen anyone who voiced their concerns of the game (either casually or harshly) attacking members who praised/defended the game. Most times I see it happening the other way around. Now I don't go into every topic, so it's possible that I don't catch it all.


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I was too harsh there and I'm sorry.
> I get fed up of seeing such things and I did lash out.
> 
> Its just that in the past, people would like a game or not like it. They would then move on.
> ...


I get that, and I agree with you in that I think the reason why people keep talking about it _is_ because of the updates. As you said, just when people are trying to move on from the game, Nintendo releases a new ACNH trailer and people watch it and either say they love it or hate it. I can see how that can be frustrating since most of the time people are repeating the same thing over and over.  From my point of view this is because most updates haven't really added much substance to the game, whether it be new events or items.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

TheDuke55 said:


> Is there an article or something about Nintendo/the NH crew stating they planned on releasing a base version of the game? I don't recall ever seeing something like that, but I have heard them mention 'planning updates for 2-3 years' Not that I'm discrediting you. I'm just curious, as I hadn't heard that.
> 
> Moritz, not that I'm discrediting you either, but I haven't seen anyone who voiced their concerns of the game (either casually or harshly) attacking members who praised/defended the game. Most times I see it happening the other way around. Now I don't go into every topic, so it's possible that I don't catch it all.


I will admit fully that I've never seen anyone attack anyone for being happy about the game.
Its just that seeing so much negativity can really weigh down on you. Or at least it does me.

I guess I am a bit emotionally weak, but I come here because I'm happy. And then when I see people complaining that their free gift wasn't enough, it drags my mood down a lot.

Maybe it's a me issue.
I'm fully aware that lockdown has caused issues for me and maybe I'm taking it out on the wrong people.

All I know is, what I liked as a happy space gets changed to negative so easily purely because of free stuff and I just don't get it


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

TheDuke55 said:


> Is there an article or something about Nintendo/the NH crew stating they planned on releasing a base version of the game? I don't recall ever seeing something like that, but I have heard them mention 'planning updates for 2-3 years' Not that I'm discrediting you. I'm just curious, as I hadn't heard that.
> 
> Moritz, not that I'm discrediting you either, but I haven't seen anyone who voiced their concerns of the game (either casually or harshly) attacking members who praised/defended the game. Most times I see it happening the other way around. Now I don't go into every topic, so it's possible that I don't catch it all.


No worries, I think I read that on this website somewhere back in December 2019/early 2020 or something? Not sure exactly about the date, but it was when it was the idea of frequent updates was first announced, and people on TBTF were expressing concern and saying things like "are we just getting an unfinished game" etc, so I don't know if Nintendo themselves said they were releasing a base version, or if people online just used that wording to represent the game we were getting in March 2020.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

sleepydreepy said:


> I get that, and I agree with you in that I think the reason why people keep talking about it _is_ because of the updates. As you said, just when people are trying to move on from the game, Nintendo releases a new ACNH trailer and people watch it and either say they love it or hate it. I can see how that can be frustrating since most of the time people are repeating the same thing over and over.  From my point of view this is because most updates haven't really added much substance to the game, whether it be new events or items.


I wish I could agree that you're right but I've legit seen complaints that Nintendo didn't release a trailer for this update.
I just dont get it any more
I think just new items are cool


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I wish I could agree that you're right but I've legit seen complaints that Nintendo didn't release a trailer for this update.
> I just dont get it any more
> I think just new items are cool


New items _are_ cool, and I'm glad there are people like you who are enjoying them and the new updates. Personally I just think Nintendo could be doing better, but like I said I'm happy there are people out there who are satisfied with ACNH as it is.  I'm by no means trying to say that everyone must think the recent updates suck, but I'm just trying to explain why _I_ think they suck (or why I think others think they suck), ya kno

Also for the record I do like this game lol, I just think that compared to all the other life/farming sims out there, ACNH had a lot of potential that the developers missed out on.


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## Rosch (May 1, 2021)

Is ACNH dying? No.

Unless Nintendo has officially stopped giving it support and the sales have significantly dropped, then yes.

Most of the reasons for the game "dying" are personal observations and are entirely subjective.


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## lolli8223 (May 1, 2021)

It’s dying for me, I’m wanting more out of the game then just more items. Why am I still restricted to the second store upgrade over a year later? Is this really all its going to be? 

I curious as to some of the decisions made in this game, no villagers visit you or asking you to visit them was a shocking omission. I miss it.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

sleepydreepy said:


> New items _are_ cool, and I'm glad there are people like you who are enjoying them and the new updates. Personally I just think Nintendo could be doing better, but like I said I'm happy there are people out there who are satisfied with ACNH as it is.  I'm by no means trying to say that everyone must think the recent updates suck, but I'm just trying to explain why _I_ think they suck (or why I think others think they suck), ya kno
> 
> Also for the record I do like this game lol, I just think that compared to all the other life/farming sims out there, ACNH had a lot of potential that the developers missed out on.


I still don't agree or get it.
But I should be nicer and not say anything is pathetic. I may think it, but I don't gain from saying it. I just get people upset.
And thats the exact opposite from what I want.


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## sleepydreepy (May 1, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I still don't agree or get it.
> But I should be nicer and not say anything is pathetic. I may think it, but I don't gain from saying it. I just get people upset.
> And thats the exact opposite from what I want.


That's totally fine, I don't expect you to 100% agree with everything I'm saying. And I appreciate your efforts in trying to be nicer when talking about your opinions on ACNH.


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## Red Cat (May 1, 2021)

Getting a few items here and there in updates is better than nothing at all, but if you're going to advertise 2-3 years of updates, people are going to expect something more substantive than just adding a few items and calling it a day. They should just do the updates quietly instead of trying to make a big deal out of it every time only to disappoint every time relative to expectations. I think it's a bit insulting to our intelligence for Nintendo to time lock seasonal content and then advertise it as an "update" every month.


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## Moritz (May 1, 2021)

Red Cat said:


> They should just do the updates quietly instead of trying to make a big deal out of it every time


The last 2 updates got no trailers or anything.
I think its fair to say it's less to do with nintendo and more the public


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## Jeremy (May 1, 2021)

Hi everyone, let's please remember to share our opinions in a respectful manner without being too critical of people who don't share the same viewpoint. Here's a snippet from our previous Bell Tree Direct:


Jeremy said:


> Some players may be very defensive about their love for the game and are sick of criticism after each update. Others may see the criticism as a chance for Nintendo to notice and make the changes they'd like to see. These are very different approaches, but we are all fans and should all try our hardest to understand where other people are coming from.



Please keep this in mind when discussing the game, no matter how strongly your views might be towards either side. Thanks!


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## LambdaDelta (May 1, 2021)

acnh was never a living organism to begin with


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## lemoncrossing (May 1, 2021)

lolli8223 said:


> It’s dying for me, I’m wanting more out of the game then just more items. Why am I still restricted to the second store upgrade over a year later? Is this really all its going to be?
> 
> I curious as to some of the decisions made in this game, no villagers visit you or asking you to visit them was a shocking omission. I miss it.


I feel this so much. It feels emptier than the previous AC games— while it’s got great items and customization, I’m still confused about why we can’t upgrade our shops. There’s pretty much no progress to be made after unlocking K.K., and it’s just kind of sad to see. I think that’s what drives people away... both old fans & new ones.


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## peddleduck (May 1, 2021)

do wanna chime in and say i think it is dying to an extent, and a lot of it has to do with a lack of things to do [on top of the huge popularity]. i have friends that have played most of the games since childhood, and they've told me they've dropped acnh due it feeling unfinished in aspects. i think if you're into customization, it's still a great game, but otherwise, there isn't a lot to do. i'd be inclined to agree with them too since i've played acnl on and off for years, often putting hours into it, and there's a lot of stuff i still have to unlock/do [still haven't unlocked gracie lmao]. whereas acnh, i'm just bored. i hop on, check my villagers, pick up my island from weeds then get so underwhelmed i don't touch it for weeks.

i am holding out hopes that nintendo will do some big update eventually which is why i'm in the middle of collecting amiibo cards, but otherwise, i'll stick to pocket camp and new leaf.


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## The Loyal Rat (May 1, 2021)

As others have said, the release of NH was HUGE and a lotta people played to start, and most games don’t keep the entirety of the main fanbase for long, especially one that rides the wave of being so popular in social media. If anything, I’d say NH has kept a pretty good amount of fans that will stay, way more then most games! The best part of AC is that it’s easy to come back to as well.

Heck, I’ve been part of the Bloodborne online activity since it came out and when it was a huge and massively popular game, but to this day the percentage of people who played the game who beat the first mandatory boss, Father Gascoigne, is 45.7 percent which is of course less then half. I’d say that’s maybe close to the amount of NH players who made it past the first KK Slider concert imo.

NH is super popular still, I think, at least compared to most games.


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## S.J. (May 1, 2021)

I don't know about other AC games but I am still thoroughly invested in my ACNH island! I am nowhere near completion. 

I think it helps that I try not to TT too far ahead or behind (a few days if I want to order from a catalogue), and I only use my own custom designs, never from other creators.


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## meggiewes (May 1, 2021)

Khaelis said:


> That problem? Monster Hunter Rise came out, lol.



I feel that!  I've been on an ACNH break because of that too.


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## Plainbluetees (May 2, 2021)

peddleduck said:


> do wanna chime in and say i think it is dying to an extent, and a lot of it has to do with a lack of things to do [on top of the huge popularity]. i have friends that have played most of the games since childhood, and they've told me they've dropped acnh due it feeling unfinished in aspects. i think if you're into customization, it's still a great game, but otherwise, there isn't a lot to do. i'd be inclined to agree with them too since i've played acnl on and off for years, often putting hours into it, and there's a lot of stuff i still have to unlock/do [still haven't unlocked gracie lmao]. whereas acnh, i'm just bored. i hop on, check my villagers, pick up my island from weeds then get so underwhelmed i don't touch it for weeks.
> 
> i am holding out hopes that nintendo will do some big update eventually which is why i'm in the middle of collecting amiibo cards, but otherwise, i'll stick to pocket camp and new leaf.


I totally agree with this. I haven’t played NH in over a month... for some reason I just feel underwhelmed. Maybe because I have access to a bunch of resources on this website, but I feel like I don’t have anything to do. I don’t need to go buy stuff from Nooks, because there aren’t any new upgrades. I don’t need to visit Label because I already have 37 pairs of Labelle Socks. No need to gift stuff to villagers, I already have all of their photos and their dialogues are stale. For some reason I remember there was always something more to do in New Leaf. I always would have to check all the stores even if I already had everything, and since there were so many of them, it kept me playing longer.

Now, I definitely don’t think NH is _dying. _At this point, it’s a classic for the switch, up there with stuff like Mariokart and what not. While the content might be getting a little stale, especially for some long-time Animal Crossing players, I don’t think the game is dead and is still really popular with a lot of folks.


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## helloxcutiee (May 2, 2021)

The new neighbor network is dead. I've never seen so many popular villagers constantly get voided I have Marshal in boxes now but I completely stopped posting when I have a villager in boxes because I know no one will respond anyway. I definitely think the game has lost the hype but it's in no means dead. Sure, there are a ton of players who picked up the game because of the pandemic who probably already stopped playing but there's also a ton of fans of the series who still play consistently myself included.


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## VanitasFan26 (May 2, 2021)

I did a lot of thinking and I think I may figure out why the game is not being played as much these days. It has to do with Burnout, The fact that people time traveled too much (which I am not against the idea and I respect people who do it), and of course probably the most obvious one, the lack of content aka the stuff to do even if you completed your island and museum. 

My friend who had their island since last year just restarted and she told me that really wanted to play this game again because she just felt so bored with it and wanted to get that charm back inside. I respect that decision. However, I have to ask this question. How long can we keep going on with the whole designing? I say this because everything when we complete our islands we just feel "done" with it. So in order to keep craving for more we just keep tearing down our islands or restarting just to keep going. 

To me I feel like that is just unhealthy. People should not be stressing too much about their islands so much and there has been so much comparisons to others islands that people just feel so burned out on even trying to make their island so good. When I stopped time traveling I now know that this game was meant to played at a slow paced and its my fault for rushing through the game so much. Thats when it hit me. The game was being played a lot in the beginning due to the pandemic and because its been over a year, people have moved on to different things so its not as popular as it were before. 

Now let me just be clear on this, New Horizons is game that really saved everyone during the pandemic. The problem is that because people have completed their island and done so much in the game that they feel so burned out that they have no reason to keep playing it, because of the lack of "new" things to do in the game afterwards. Like others said its very rare to see a game being last this long and being talked about to this day, but as like with any other game it will start to die out when there is less people playing and not much new stuff being added. Thats the reality of this situation. I'm sure in the future the game will become better, but when exactly? We don't know.


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## mermaidshelf (May 2, 2021)

I don't think it's dying but basically the only ones I know who still play were Animal Crossing fans from before New Horizons came out which is fine because that's kind of what I expected to happen. I never thought this would be one of Nintendo's best selling games of all time but the pandemic and hype and the overall larger userbase of the Switch made it possible. I know a lot of people who played ACNL everyday who no longer play NH because they're disappointed in the game. One of my favorite game Youtubers stopped streaming and playing altogether, despite NL being one of his all time favorite games. I do wish that there were more features that we got from previous games like gyroids and villagers visiting your house or asking to visit them. After a year and we still don't even have those key features from previous titles that make me, as a long time AC fan, sad.


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## Millysaurusrexjr (May 2, 2021)

No, it's not dying. It's probably not as active/popular as it was a year ago, but I think it still has a strong player base and I think that big updates in the future will bring a lot of people back.


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## Kattea (May 2, 2021)

I’m the only one out of all my irl friends that still plays ACNH, so I'm really glad I found the forums. I think the people who only started playing for the hype are long gone. Those of us left make up the true fanbase, and I think that's why many are very strongly opinionated about the game, one way or the other. Personally, the game will be keeping me entertained for a long time. I'm only done about 20% done my island and I think that's because I pace myself and don't play if I'm feeling uninspired. I can really see myself being invested in the game for several more years.


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## Junalt (May 2, 2021)

No it’s not dying. The discord is still very active and you can usually find items you want from Nookazon/Discord easily which is amazing for a game that’s more than a year old and largely single player. A lot of people dropped off NL and previous AC games after a year or even just a few months too, it’s really nothing new at all, just the nature of the game.


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## Jaco (May 2, 2021)

It's not dead or dying. The crazy quarantine hype is gone but it was unrealistic to expect that to last. 

There's still a huge player base, especially for a single-player game, and the updates generate a burst of player interest (I can even measure it by a large jump in dreamers the days after a big update, like the Anniversary update). I get that some of us, hundreds or even thousands of hours into the game,  are running out of things to do but I'm still optimistic that Nintendo has big future plans for the game, especially given how nuts New Horizon's sales were.


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## peachycrossing9 (May 2, 2021)

I wouldn't say its dying exactly. But people are definitely getting bored and not playing anymore because of the lack of content, which I 100% can understand. 

Considering it's over a year old now and there are people who still play it almost daily and enjoy it is awesome. And also Nintendo is still putting out updates. I would consider it to be dying if Nintendo stopped updates completely. 
I still play quite often. Not everyday though currently since I just finished my island, and I want to leave it as it is for a bit before I flatten it and start my new theme. 

The game really was the most popular during the start of the pandemic, when the game also happened to be coming out. So it was all anyone was playing while people were stuck in their homes. I think since so many people were playing it so much back then, it's now becoming kinda stale for most, but as I said, I don't think it's dying.


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## MapleSilver (May 2, 2021)

I'm sure there's way fewer players than there were on release; I've definitely noticed less people joining the forum now than there were last year. But I joined the community in 2018 so I'm used to the game being "dead". Honestly, popularity really doesn't matter when it comes to games since it's not like the game stops existing when a certain amount of people stop playing it (except MMOs I suppose). As long as there's still a small community to trade with, I wouldn't worry. Perhaps a lack of players will result in less frequent updates, but since the only money they'd actually get from updates is from Nintendo Online subscriptions, and the updates don't require multiplayer anyway, there's probably not much of a financial incentive to begin with.


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## TalviSyreni (May 2, 2021)

Even though I missed the initial hype of ACNH when it debuted last March apart from what I saw on social media from those playing and having no idea what it was other than a video game I feel that the overall the game is still very much loved. Since becoming a fan of the game a few months ago I've found an abundance of resources online (including this very active forum) to help inspire my own island from YouTube channels that do speed builds to Instagram accounts promoting design codes. Every day I scroll through or watch a video and there's always something new to see which I think goes to show that ACNH is still very much loved by fans who have been playing since last year as well as help garner new fans like myself to start playing. That to me is a testament to how well the game has done overall considering it doesn't really have an end goal like other video games, although I'm sure if another Animal Crossing game is released in the near future then New Horizons will quieten down more as fans move on to check out the latest video game in the Animal Crossing family.


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## Glake (May 2, 2021)

The game is going to get more essential updates, the problem is Nintendo is TOO SLOW, and a lot of the stuff that we're waiting for really would have been better off releasing last year. Overall though, I think people just got hella burnt out from playing so much last year, like honestly, 2020 felt like the absolute peak for the AC community, and I don't see it ever returning to that state until a new game comes around. Not to mention the economy in this game went to all-hell REALLY fast due to bugs and exploits. 

A lot of people will return when bigger updates make their way into the game, but it's also worth noting that there are many more games out there somewhat similar to AC than what we used to have in the past during say, the New Leaf or City Folk era. When people get burnt out from this, there are many other similar games now they can just move onto in the meantime.


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## niko@kamogawa (May 2, 2021)

That will depend on your definition of "dying." People may have different opinions on how they define it as such.

Is the hype dead? Obviously, it died a long time ago. Everyone already moved on to the next big thing.
Is the community dead? This community is still alive. Otherwise, we won't even discuss this.
Did the player populace dwindle? Like any other games, this will always happen no matter what.
Should I worry if the game is dying? If you're playing this alone, absolutely not.

Honestly, the game will only become "dead" if you stopped playing. *For my case, the answer is no. Because I am still actively playing.*


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## TheDuke55 (May 2, 2021)

lemoncrossing said:


> I feel this so much. It feels emptier than the previous AC games— while it’s got great items and customization, I’m still confused about why we can’t upgrade our shops. There’s pretty much no progress to be made after unlocking K.K., and it’s just kind of sad to see. I think that’s what drives people away... both old fans & new ones.


This is the one thing I liked about the other games. The progression of your town. You got to watch places grow the more you played and contributed. You can still progress your island by terraforming and decorating, but the feeling is kind of different when there isn't any acknowledgment from the AI who live there.

They may never bring back these things that we're thinking about like building upgrades, new shops, ect. But if they do, it's more of a waiting game and less about the time you invested on your island. I still play the game and like it, but I can't lie, the game does feel less alive (to me) because of this.


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## Hat' (May 2, 2021)

It's funny how everyone is talking about people not playing anymore because the "bandwagon" hype has died down.
I've been hyped with my best friend about the Switch AC since the console came out and I've been eagerly wishing for it everytime a Nintendo Direct was taking place. I literally cried when I saw the "Animal Crossing 2019" announced during the september direct.
After that, the E3 trailer aired and I was even more hyped, I remember watching it 10 times a day, I really liked that time period.
But then the game came out... me and my friend played for about a month, and then nothing. I guess we came back one or two times to try and landscape our island but it's just so tedious and it's not our favorite part of the game.
I was shocked when I saw that they removed every single furniture set, which were really important to me because I loved collecting them and I had already planned my house with them in mind.

Animal Crossing is my favorite franchise ever, and to see me not liking this game really makes me feel bad.
It feels like a Sims 2 Castaway kinda spin-off or even an early access game.
This game was tailored for people who loved landscaping during ACNL, but to me AC wasn't that at all.
I played this game to have cute interactions with my villagers, of which there are none in ACNH, to do my daily cafe shift, to visit the T&T emporium and look at Gracie's collections, or to farm bells at the island while meeting new people.
I never really cared about landscaping since I couldn't do it, I'm really bad at it, sadly.

The fact that the game got released with no holidays, no diving and one Timmy and Tommy update (which is still the case) is still surreal to me today.
I really trusted them with the updates, like okay sure the game will live longer and the hype will go on, I'm all for that. But except from the summer one, none of them were good to me. Like I'm really trying to understand what are they working on? I mean, I'm all for companies not crunching their devs but like so many games are releasing huge updates in the span of months and all we get is a few furniture? Like I would genuinely like to know what is happening behind the scenes! I don't want to come off as mean or anything of the sort I'm just really sad that the game I wished for during years disappointed me in so many aspects.


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## Nix (May 2, 2021)

I just started it up again. I just didn't have time lately. :/


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## JKDOS (May 2, 2021)

Hat' said:


> It's funny how everyone is talking about people not playing anymore because the "bandwagon" hype has died down.
> I've been hyped with my best friend about the Switch AC since the console came out and I've been eagerly wishing for it everytime a Nintendo Direct was taking place.



The difference is that you are not a hype bandwagon player. You were a previous fan eagerly waiting to play the next installment.


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## Hat' (May 2, 2021)

JKDOS said:


> The difference is that you are not a hype bandwagon player. You were a previous fan eagerly waiting to play the next installment.


Oh I know, I just wanted to say that the game isn't less popular just because the bandwagon players left, a lot of loyal fans of the franchise also got bored because of the lack of things to do other than landscaping.


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## Bilaz (May 2, 2021)

The PC Petz franchise from the 90s still has a devoted fanbase, and AC is that kind of game


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## McRibbie (May 2, 2021)

Bilaz said:


> The PC Petz franchise from the 90s still has a devoted fanbase, and AC is that kind of game


Can somebody point me in the direction of it? I used to love that game about 20 years ago!


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## King koopa (May 2, 2021)

Hat' said:


> Oh I know, I just wanted to say that the game isn't less popular just because the bandwagon players left, a lot of loyal fans of the franchise also got bored because of the lack of things to do other than landscaping.


I know I'm gonna look stupid for asking this, but what's a bandwagon player?


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## Jhine7 (May 2, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> I know I'm gonna look stupid for asking this, but what's a bandwagon player?


A player who jumps onto playing just because everyone else is.


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## Moritz (May 2, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> I know I'm gonna look stupid for asking this, but what's a bandwagon player?


New horizons sold more copies than all the previous entries combined.
A lot of those players are first timers to the series. They started playing because of lockdown and seeing so many others excited for the game.

It's natural that those players wouldn't stick around too long since it was new to them and they don't feel the same passion as we do.

So while I don't know I agree with the term, it would be those people.


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## DragonLatios (May 2, 2021)

I am not a Hard Core. I Play my games Like Pokemon Sword and To Snap. I Sometime Do not do everything as i sometime do not Like the Pokemon or just take my time with it at my own speed. Sometime i feel like a Bandwagon player as i did not catch it all or Jump Onto in a DLC on my 2nd copy of Shield with in a year time. I Own it and i do log into it do download event pokemon or times in my games. ACNH game is the game at get free update and i got a friend here name Jhine7 at help get me back into the swing of Getting items and saying hello to him.


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## Croconaw (May 2, 2021)

Maybe the trading boards aren’t that active as people have already obtained the items and villagers they needed for their island. That is probably the case. As for New Horizons dying, I think it has less to do with the game and more to do with the fact that forums are dying in general. Less people are using forums while social media becomes more popular. Although this is sad, you cannot deny this fact. It’s a shame that forums aren’t as popular as they used to be. I’ve seen countless Facebook posts about New Horizons on Animal Crossing groups. It’s still very much popular, but of course there are people that don’t play anymore. Everyone gets bored of a video game sometime, it is inevitable.


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## Romaki (May 2, 2021)

I feel like the hype was dead in autumn, there are definitely more regular players now but overall I'd say we reached a constant where only the most dedicated players still play. The first year has been somewhat underwhelming in the end, with New Leaf you had like 30 days between buildings and upgrades and I don't feel like I got bored that easily. In New Horizons you're like done with buildings before autumn and right now the future doesn't seem that exciting.


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## Bilaz (May 2, 2021)

McRibbie said:


> Can somebody point me in the direction of it? I used to love that game about 20 years ago!


Ohhh sure xD
this proves my point though  xD
But yes here it is





						Home | The RKC Petz Forum
					

Visit our forum at: petzforum.proboards.com




					petzforum.proboards.com
				



http://whiskerwick.boards.net are the main forums


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## DragonLatios (May 2, 2021)

Croconaw said:


> Maybe the trading boards aren’t that active as people have already obtained the items and villagers they needed for their island. That is probably the case. As for New Horizons dying, I think it has less to do with the game and more to do with the fact that forums are dying in general. Less people are using forums while social media becomes more popular. Although this is sad, you cannot deny this fact. It’s a shame that forums aren’t as popular as they used to be. I’ve seen countless Facebook posts about New Horizons on Animal Crossing groups. It’s still very much popular, but of course there are people that don’t play anymore. Everyone gets bored of a video game sometime, it is inevitable.


A Sad Truth indeed. I Love the Forms as i got to meet nice folks and allow me to jump in and out without anything in return it feel like.  Some of my Villagers i got from other users and the items too. But I Lost Contact with them in the games or on this site. I do catch them online in other games or something. But i happy for there help and wait to see if they return. I Just happy a friend* Jhine7 *remain online for me to say hello and if he got the item at catch my eye.


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## King koopa (May 2, 2021)

Romaki said:


> I feel like the hype was dead in autumn, there are definitely more regular players now but overall I'd say we reached a constant where only the most dedicated players still play. The first year has been somewhat underwhelming in the end, with New Leaf you had like 30 days between buildings and upgrades and I don't feel like I got bored that easily. In New Horizons you're like done with buildings before autumn and right now the future doesn't seem that exciting.


Yeah I agree with this. I remember in April almost all my friends were playing new horizons and i saw a bunch of dreamie hunting on YouTube. But in the fall, most of my friends started getting bored of the game and I saw less dreamie hunting videos. Now, the hype is dead, but people still play, so I bet all Nintendo basically has to do is add something big, like max crafting, making landscaping better, adding online multiplayer, I can assure you the hype will be back. But it's Nintendo's choice, not mine.


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## DragonLatios (May 2, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> Yeah I agree with this. I remember in April almost all my friends were playing new horizons and i saw a bunch of dreamie hunting on YouTube. But in the fall, most of my friends started getting bored of the game and I saw less dreamie hunting videos. Now, the hype is dead, but people still play, so I bet all Nintendo basically has to do is add something big, like max crafting, making landscaping better, adding online multiplayer, I can assure you the hype will be back. But it's Nintendo's choice, not mine.


I Hope so as a Player Name Ruby was On this Form and on the game side before MIA as i use to send her Items from her wish list and she dose it in return. I Think at how i got a Lot of item by Swaping items for item we find on our day or week.  I Hope She Reply to me so we can do this again. I not Sure she update her list in a while?


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## -Lumi- (May 2, 2021)

I think the popularity and mainstream hype around Animal Crossing New Horizons is definitely settling down. When New Horizons was first released it was popularized _so much _that people who had never played an Animal Crossing game before decided to pick it up, just because. There was an influx of players that we didn't see with New Leaf, in my opinion. This lead to people who might not otherwise really enjoy the game picking it up just to play with friends, maybe make videos/streams of the game, or have other social media accounts dedicated to it and now that it's not as popular anymore they're setting it down because it doesn't get as many views or clicks. 

I think even with genuine Animal Crossing fans though, New Horizons has been a pretty polarizing release. I don't think the games support/players will fully disappear until a new game is released but I can see it slowing down quicker than it did with New Leaf. I think this is a mix of it releasing during the start of the pandemic so a lot of people burned themselves out with the game and just in general New Horizons seems to pad itself out with false longevity. The decision to base so much of New Horizons content behind updates is really frustrating. We're missing NPCs, shops, and I'm not sure if it's still the case but last years holidays were blocked behind updates which was a major annoyance for folks who like to time travel. 

Plus there's the issue of a lot of the content being hidden behind the need for an online membership and actually trading with people. That can negatively affect people who either can't or don't want to play online and I could see that contributing to people putting the game down quicker than they might've in the past. Especially if you go from having an online membership to no longer having one - that's a big difference in what you're able to do in the game. Trading DIYs, item variants, materials, adopting villagers (although this one is a little easier to deal with since we have mystery islands), visiting other peoples islands to shop from Leif or watch the stars/talk to Celeste, and then of course there's not having access to custom designs.  

I think it was always natural for the popularity of New Horizons to settle down because of how insanely popular it was at the beginning but I do feel like some of the reason it's quieted down is because people are losing interest in it faster than they did with prior releases.


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## porkpie28 (May 2, 2021)

I still play it not as much as when it first came out I still enjoy it


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## Flicky (May 2, 2021)

-Lumi- said:


> I think it was always natural for the popularity of New Horizons to settle down because of how insanely popular it was at the beginning but I do feel like some of the reason it's quieted down is because people are losing interest in it faster than they did with prior releases.


This definitely feels accurate, at least from what I saw.

On another (unrelated to AC) forum I visit, we all used to play NL together. The topic for NL was huge, and it stayed that way for over six months before it started to go a little quiet.

When NH came out, I was already playing another island-building game, so I decided to wait until I was burned out from it before tackling NH. I watched the forum posts for NH, and it was... slow. The same members had NH (save for one or two that had since left, and been replaced with new members), but all I saw was a sea of complaints about missing features. After less than a month, the topic had died out. A handful of updates prompted a bump, then it went quiet again. 

I've only been playing since Christmas, so I still have things to do. But I have noticed many others around me have left long ago, both returning players and new.


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## -Lumi- (May 2, 2021)

Flicky said:


> This definitely feels accurate, at least from what I saw.
> 
> On another (unrelated to AC) forum I visit, we all used to play NL together. The topic for NL was huge, and it stayed that way for over six months before it started to go a little quiet.
> 
> ...



That's what I've found, too. I don't frequent a lot of other forums/sites but I am on a handful that have Animal Crossing discussions and the difference between how New Leaf was received vs New Horizons is telling. For New Leaf there were definitely complaints because it was far from a perfect game but those seemed to be few and far between and what I mainly saw were positive discussions or people playing the game together. 

With New Horizons I saw a lot more discussions about missing features, problems with the game, or people defending the game and that cycle will repeat sometimes when new updates come out but for the most part the game isn't really mentioned anymore. 

I think for a lot of players they either stopped early on or stopped once they played for a full in game year. Once they had experienced all the holidays/events they likely already had the museum finished too so they didn't personally see a lot of reason to go back. I feel like New Horizons not having mini games or anything really fun to do with friends online really hurt the longevity in that sense and just the base of the game doesn't give you a lot to work towards or look forward to. It's why I miss New Leaf so much - it felt like there was more progression in that game. Stores upgrading, NPCs moving in/opening up shop, receiving PWPs from villagers, earning the ability to customize our train station/town hall, seeing the town tree grow taller, filling out the museum etc. With New Horizons there's a lot less to work towards so it's easy for people to feel done with the game sooner.


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## wolfie1 (May 2, 2021)

During the first two or three months after launch, my TL on Twitter and other social media platforms was literally full of ACNH pictures or videos. After a year, they've all disappeared. Same thing on YouTube. Now does this mean the game is dying? I don't know, but it definitely means that the interest has drastically waned. I know a lot of people who have stopped playing, myself included.


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## Fridaynightcatlady (May 2, 2021)

I guess it just depends.

Every game’s community, eventually, dims and the hype dies out. I’ve logged 500 hours so far but I’m playing sporadically. The new items will spark new ideas for my island and I like talking to my villagers from time to time. 

If you ask me, the fact that the hype has deflated doesn’t affect me much, tbh. I know there’ll always be people playing if I need trading or visiting islands. Splatoon, Mario Kart, Smash communities are still strong, even years after release. AC community tends to be the same and NH is no exception. 

I think there’s a big chunk of players who came in blind to the series and just loved the first experience of AC. I know friends who were newcomers and I kept telling them, “Animal Crossing is a game you can keep playing on for years”. But they don’t like “endless” games and I think a lot of newcomer players were like that. In fact, my friends haven’t returned to the game despite a lot of the updates and holidays, and I feel a big chunk of new players have done that, too, which makes me question just how much can appeal to new players.


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## WaileaNoRei (May 3, 2021)

Fridaynightcatlady said:


> I guess it just depends.
> 
> Every game’s community, eventually, dims and the hype dies out. I’ve logged 500 hours so far but I’m playing sporadically. The new items will spark new ideas for my island and I like talking to my villagers from time to time.
> 
> ...



while I know I definitely don’t speak for all new players, I am brand new to the animal crossing franchise! I had heard of the game, _maybe_ before, but I had never played any of them ever. I started playing this game because my husband was bored during the pandemic/ parental leave and we bought some switches and he found a description of this game and I though it looked fun.

I got totally hooked and found in this game just exactly the gaming experience I (apparently) wanted. I have a good friend who is also not familiar with the series and we still often play together and constantly text about the game. Obviously i am only one person, but I swear there are more of us on the forum and out there in the wider community.

I agree with your overall comment, the hype may be dying down but that doesn’t effect those of us still excited about the game and involved in an active and engaged community like this one.

And I also understand wondering if all the hype resulted in any dedicated new fans too - or if it was just purely a passing fad. but in my experience at least it did, and I’m very happy to have found this game and community. And I don’t think I am the only one either, fwiw


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## Arckaniel (May 3, 2021)

I don't think it's dying, yes it doesn't have as much players as it used to in the start but that's just every other game, but unlike some games, ACNH really lack updates that would make players want to stay/comeback so the game is just really slowing down day by day...


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## Sarah3 (May 3, 2021)

I wouldn't say dying but also won't deny the downturn. But that's expected and nothing wrong with that. Happens to every game ever. I still enjoy playing!


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## Mezzanine (May 3, 2021)

Deleted


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