Is ACNH dying?

[Ossiran]

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.

 

[Miss Misty]

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.

 

[Etown20]

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.

 

[Airysuit]

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

 

[Corrie]

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.

 

[Red Cat]

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.

 

[Alicia]

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.

 

[Bilaz]

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

 

[RollingAntony]

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.

 

[JKDOS]

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.

 

[Serabee]

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.

 

[IslaYuka]

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.

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?".

 

[Moritz]

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.

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

 

[Serabee]

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.

 

[Marshmallows]

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.

 

[Serabee]

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!

 

[IslaYuka]

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.

 

[Moritz]

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

 

[PugLovex]

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 ^^

 

[Moritz]

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.