What will the new AC game be?

[ShinyDungeoneer]

I personally want new crossover villagers in the next game. As you can tell by my current avatar, I really liked the Sonic x Puyo Puyo crossover when it happened. So, why not add characters from those series into Animal Crossing? I have a few ideas for a few characters from Puyo, which I will list now:
Arle: Normal Deer, catchphrase: madou
Raffine: Snooty Dog, catchphrase: la-ti-da
Dark Prince (known as Satan in Japan): Cranky Cat (with yellow Bull horns), catchphrase: precious
Carbuncle: Lazy Rabbit, catchphrase: gugu
Feli: Snooty Wolf, catchphrase: destiny
Villager Relationships: Arle and Carbuncle: Best Friends
Feli and Raffine: Frenemies
Dark Prince and Arle: Friends (or, Hopeless Romantic for Dark Prince because he has a crush on Arle)

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

If they just combined New Leaf and New Horizons, with much more dialogue, then it would be the perfect AC game.

I doubt it will be like that though -- I think we're more likely to get something super similar to New Horizons.

 

[-Blue-]

This type of game was very niche even before the pandemic saw it getting a lot of attention. They could've really took advantage of that situation, but they really didn't. So I doubt we will be seeing another game during the Switch's lifetime or even any time soon. My guess would be very late 2020s or early 2030 considering how long the gaps for the previous games are.

I doubt they will push them out as fast as they do with their other titles like Pokemon. What I really want is the game to be complete at purchase. None of that dripfeed garbage anymore. I'm not supporting that crap.

 

[McRibbie]

This type of game was very niche even before the pandemic saw it getting a lot of attention. They could've really took advantage of that situation, but they really didn't. So I doubt we will be seeing another game during the Switch's lifetime or even any time soon. My guess would be very late 2020s or early 2030 considering how long the gaps for the previous games are.

I doubt they will push them out as fast as they do with their other titles like Pokemon. What I really want is the game to be complete at purchase. None of that dripfeed garbage anymore. I'm not supporting that crap.

You're probably not going to be buying the next AC game, then.

I don't see them stopping the free update model until at the very earliest 2027 (when the second Nintendo building in Japan is finished), and that's going under the assumption that if there's a new Switch by that point, it's not a massive leap forward in power so that game dev time is pretty much the same and they can actually put out the 9-12 games they usually put out in a year without having to rely on it for 1-3 of them.

fwiw, if Splatoon 3 is anything to go off (which hey, same division of Nintendo, probably is!), it's probably going to be a better base game than NH (especially given there's now a catalogue of high-definition villager and furniture models in existence) but it's probably going to add a couple of new things in seasonally again, and that will probably also include stuff that was in NH 2.0.

 

[JKDOS]

So I doubt we will be seeing another game during the Switch's lifetime or even any time soon.

Yes. The Switch is already about 6 years old, and no Nintendo console has ever received 2 mainline AC games. It's safe to assume we won't see another for the Switch. I don't feel the Switch is going to last another year either.

The pandemic may have boosted numbers a bit, but I think the rise in social media in today's world compared to 2013 really helped push more sales for New Horizons. After the sales-success received, it's possible Nintendo is already planning the next game, especially since it feels like Nintendo wants to distance themselves from anything to do with New Horizons after v2. Not only did New Horizons sell well, but it was also a driving force for Switch console sales, because there were lots of people who didn't even own a Switch go out and buy both a Switch and the game. Nintendo has a gold mine here.

 

[meltydoll]

Yes. The Switch is already about 6 years old, and no Nintendo console has ever received 2 mainline AC games. It's safe to assume we won't see another for the Switch. I don't feel the Switch is going to last another year either.

I'm not familiar with Nintendo's model here how they release games and such, but seeing today's gaming industry I wouldn't hold my breath with new Animal Crossing game or waiting new Nintendo console either. I mean it's not that long time ago they released Switch OLED. Also it's seem to be more common to games being released on slices than just a whole package.

So I would say it's more likely they would release another DLC for New Horizon than releasing a whole new game.

I don't say I wouldn't mind new AC game though...

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I sort of want it to be a mix of New Horizons and New Leaf where you can start a new city or town from the ground up and craft items but there is also a small shopping plaza that you can make bigger by adding more shops and expanding a few of them. One store could have KK as a shop keep of a record store and he has a function where you can create your own songs to be played on the music players in a way similar to Mario Paint only its AC themed and has a few different sounds. Another idea is an antique store that sells furniture and items from the first game up to City Folk and Timmy and Tommy sell the newer items. The post office and police station are already in the plaza as unlocking the police station in NL is just awful as I literally spent four years playing the game never knowing it had existed until I used the Dream Island feature as no Villager ever asked me to set up a Police Station.

 

[JKDOS]

I mean it's not that long time ago they released Switch OLED. Also it's seem to be more common to games being released on slices than just a whole package.

Nintendo is notorious for this kind of thing though. Examples being Gameboy Advance SP, Nintendo DS Lite (And technically DSi), 3DS XL, 2DS, New 2DS, New 3DS.

 

[VanitasFan26]

I just want to be able to like build my own city from the ground up. Like a mix between New Leaf and New Horizions, where you are the Mayor of the City and your job is to design how the city is suppose to look like and assign roles for each villager for their jobs kinda like what you did in Happy Home Paradise when making Facilities. Of course with it being an AC game you can check on your villagers to see how they are doing.

 

[nightglow]

A thought came to mind today when thinking about the personalities and how they upped villagers to 10.
They added type A and type B to personalities. I wonder if they are planning to expand on that more to where you notice the difference more in the next game. With so many villagers already, and they show interest in adding more over a long period of time, they will have to vary them. Also, with the HHP facilities, if they add that gimmick to the main game, you have even more exposure to more villagers which are limited to 8 personalities.

 

[VanitasFan26]

I just want to be able to like build my own city from the ground up. Like a mix between New Leaf and New Horizions, where you are the Mayor of the City and your job is to design how the city is suppose to look like and assign roles for each villager for their jobs kinda like what you did in Happy Home Paradise when making Facilities. Of course with it being an AC game you can check on your villagers to see how they are doing.

Also if I were to give a name to this game I would called it "Animal Crossing: New Skylines"

 

[Leo King]

Whatever they do, I hope they give you the option to change your name. I kinda deadnamed myself so now I have to wait for a villager to ask me about a nickname. :s

 

[-Blue-]

I just want to be able to like build my own city from the ground up. Like a mix between New Leaf and New Horizions, where you are the Mayor of the City and your job is to design how the city is suppose to look like and assign roles for each villager for their jobs kinda like what you did in Happy Home Paradise when making Facilities. Of course with it being an AC game you can check on your villagers to see how they are doing.

When we first heard of the leak for jobs, I thought it was going to be about villagers having par time jobs at places like Nooks, Ables, Brewsters ect. I think it would be cool to have something like that. See them in a work uniform/apron.

Or maybe you could assign them jobs like garden duty where you would see them in garedening clothes going around weeding, watering flowers, ect.


But yeah, if they had just fused the strengths of both NH and NL, I think we would've had a very solid entry that wouldn't had been received with such mixed responses.

 

[Boccages]

I like crafting. I do think it will remain and be expanded upon in the next AC game.

With that being said, I do think the new game will be fully 3D, and gone will be the "rolling log" effect.

 

[nightglow]

I was thinking more about possible environments after looking at pokewilds' map. It was a procedurally generated map with a few biomes. I think I could see Animal Crossing going for that instead of choosing your environment for your town or the DLC. A 3d game to look at as an example would be Dinkum, but I wouldn't think Nintendo would go for that large of a map.

 

[Snek]

I just want to be able to like build my own city from the ground up. Like a mix between New Leaf and New Horizions, where you are the Mayor of the City and your job is to design how the city is suppose to look like and assign roles for each villager for their jobs kinda like what you did in Happy Home Paradise when making Facilities. Of course with it being an AC game you can check on your villagers to see how they are doing.

All I want is this. I think they went too far into the customisation and decoration aspect and NH shows it. I want more interaction and dialogue with villagers, more villager likes and dislikes, and maybe even a better detailed friendship mechanic (yes, including a negative level. I want an archnemesis!). Personally tired of the mandatory rural island life so there needs to be an option to build your town according how you want it. If you want a large city, you can do it! Want a rural farm? Sure! Maybe even options if your town is on an island or part of the mainland. They could do so much more yet theyre choosing not to...

 

[pawpatrolbab]

If we're lucky, not another New Horizons lol

 

[Beanz]

i know i have posted here before but i really hope a new animal crossing game brings back the sporadic aspect of the older games. new villager moves in where you want to put something else? well too bad, you’re just going to have to deal with it until they move out.

don’t get me wrong, i love customization, but having the ability to customize everything did not make new horizons enjoyable for me. in fact, im completely against the idea of including terraforming in the next game but it’s sensible to keep it for the players that started with new horizons.

 

[Spongebob]

i know i have posted here before but i really hope a new animal crossing game brings back the sporadic aspect of the older games. new villager moves in where you want to put something else? well too bad, you’re just going to have to deal with it until they move out.

I miss this too!! Along with villagers randomly moving out, the randomness made it feel more real. I also agree with scaling back customization. I want the next game to be more like a life simulator again and less like a town building simulator lol.

 

[Hunter_Gr33n]

I think everyone said exactly what I was thinking, so...

Spoiler: Spoilered for space-saving purposes.

wishlist:

• bring back the train station and post office
• give Brewster his own building again
• Celeste observatory I'm begging
• NO CRAFTING.
• more unique dialogue in general
• have more than 10 villagers at a time

I kind of like the idea of being the mayor more than a representative. They should go back to that route.

Wishlist:
* DO NOT REPLACE OR GET RID OF TOM NOOK
* Bigger map. Much much bigger. I don't want to blink and suddenly be on the other side of the map.
* Back to the "live in a town" format
* Make moving houses and building paths as easy as it is in HHP.
* No crafting, or just limited to customizations.
* No tool durability. At least not for gold tools.
* Options menu to independently mute the game's music without turning off all sound.
* K.K. portable MP3 player. Let our players create a playlist they can listen to while runing around the town.
* Place furniture at 45 degree angles.
* Let the host move furniture while guest are over. It's not rude as you suggest.
* Give K.K. a building to perform in again. Like, I don't know...A coffee shop?
* Increase the interest rates on bank again. Getting 9,999 bells every 30 days is insignificant. I can make 16,000 bells in a single day finding a money rock.
* Keep DJ K.K. and increase his appearances.

my wishlist:
-bigger map (like GC size) or one that just "feels" as big as GC (and city folk).
-rugs outside
-a dirt/grass path (like one that's a dirt path but overgrown)
-more favours for villagers to do and often (and all of the old ones that were removed [...]). New ones would be appreciated too (like possibly getting them a coffee from the roost, grabbing a coffee with them, having villagers ask you to plant trees for them, having them ask you to place a specific furniture type outside of their house for them to use, villagers asking you to see KK with them, villagers asking you to relay messages to players (on switch bff list) from other towns, villagers asking you to tell other villagers they have a crush on them (peppies, lol), etc. Personality specific favours maybe? This is one of my favourite features in the game. I hope they bring all of those back and add way more.
-celeste's observatory and being able to create constellations
-leif's shop/a greenhouse
-enterable lighthouse again and lighthouse duty
-placeable and enterable buildings or items, that can be entered by villagers also (like reset surveillance center or lighthouse or treehouses or greenhouses or ufo's).
-fortune cookies
-randomly spawned in inclines like in previous games (that can be terraformed if so desired).
-villagers remembering other villagers who moved (fondly or otherwise) and mentioning them (when around their previous home location/at random).
-ALL THE MISSING FRUIT (lychee, persimmon, mangoes, lemons, grapes, bananas, durians, and the perfect fruit!!!!!) AND MORE (strawberries, raspberries pineapples, plums, melons, starfruit, avocado, passionfruit, pomegranate, kiwi, yellow and green apples, limes, nuts, and bushes with harvestable berries)
-more veggies and all of the ones from new horizons (cauliflower, garlic, rice, corn, broccoli, spinach, beans). Maybe you can grow like giant melons and pumpkins.
-different kinds of native fruit (and native fruit trees growing randomly like flowers).
-lots and lots of randomized island specific stuff (with more than 10 options if possible) such as native fruit, train station / airport colour, etc (But way more stuff like possibly plaza rocks colour, exterior/able sisters/post office/nooks, etc (-but imagine like instead of different colours its different exteriors like in new leaf or like brick,stone,wood,zen,corporate,etc. with different interiors too) . or specific landmarks (waterfalls/different random generated plants). also lots of it based off of dialogue like with Rover/Kapp'n/Timmy&Tommy. I loved this feature.
-take more inspiration from older games (& include classic things that haven't been removed until this game)
-water plants (tall & short)
-blowable dandelions and red turnips
-having to see Harriett to change hairstyle and colour (with a wide range of both)
-more trees to grow (with varying sizes)
-more fun unnecessary things (like the fireworks items) and having them trigger villagers to do stuff.
-bring back the train, taxi, and bus in unique fun ways and have them take you to different places.
-gold statue of your villager when house upgraded
-option to have 6 villagers up to 16 villagers.
-forest theme again or something like it (it was prettier imo)
-more personality variations like the sub-categories they added in new horizons (and dialogue, more options for villagers to ask you stuff and add the scroll bar to choose answer like in ww and nl)
-unlocking (cool) things by chatting with your villagers often.
-pelly & phyllis (and the post office), tortimer, pascal, blanca, lyle, lottie, gracie, katrina, joan, wendell, booker & copper, kicks, label, the balloon guy. All with bigger and more interesting and useful roles.
-not having to use our imaginations so much to enjoy the game.
-better community gathering spots (more out in the nature or beside a big tree) where festivities are held.
-more festivities (new ones & old, removed, and fun unnecessary ones like yay-day, la-di-day, flower fest, spring cleaning, the fleamarket/re-tail, cherry-blossom festival, sports fair, and bright nights) to add more fun and emotional depth to the game.
-wishing well from gamecube (and farley & serena with different important roles)
-tortimer visits town time to time (without a specific agenda to be remembered for like saharah just having wallpaper/carpets or the bug and fish guys, but just adding some random fun and maybe discussing island stats with you or something).
-reset surveillance centre (!!!!!) and resetti & don having MEANINGFUL important and fun roles.
-villagers placing some furniture outside (beside their homes-and us being able to rearrange it ofc).
-feng shui unlocking something
-different prizes for HHA points alongside the trophies.
-KK playing at the train-station or in the roost.
-Gracie and her funky car
-Police station or somewhere new and enterable for the dogs to go lol.
-ROVER TRAIN SEQUENCE.
-PORTER OR CHAMP (both were missing from new horizons for some reason).
-campsite turning into igloo in winter time, villagers being able to camp out if they please maybe Harvey stays there also.
-more unnecessary dialogue with NPC's and being able to ask them how they are and have them give you backstory.
-STORE UPGRADES FOR EVERY STORE INCLUDING THE POLICE STATION [equivalent] AND POST OFFICE.
-Options to decide where all of the shops will go instead of having a mainstreet or city (with customizable exteriors & interiors). And enough map space to do so.
-former villagers returning to visit (and remembering you, like on mainstreet in NL or city folk)
-donating to boondox (and villagers talking about it).
-multiple villagers being able to have a conversation at once (and rather frequently).
-villagers to be seen hanging out around town with other compatible villagers (like drinking coffee on a bench together and talking or walking together or chatting at the roost together (and watching kk play).
-Gulliver having a more interesting and fun role with more depth. Perhaps bring back the UFO? or something cooler.
-being able to slingshot more than presents, such as pete or ufo's or other floating items with unique purpose.
-more places to go such as the marquee or auction place (But new and different places like that) -> I appreciated in the marquee that there is that entering place where you purchase a ticket from the mysterious voice before you enter. It's the little things that make the game feel real and special to me.
-messages in bottles

• More villagers!
• And on that note, the ability to place furniture diagonally. Please. ;A;
• At the very least, gold tools shouldn't break. And if other tools can still break, there should be some way to view their remaining durability.
• A better method of collecting DIYs, or at least a greatly decreased chance of getting duplicates.
• Bring back Gracie, Copper, Booker, Pelly, Phyllis, and Pete. I miss them.
• Toggleable sound options, with music and sound effects separate. Sometimes I need to listen for sound cues, but I just don't like the background music.
  • Similarly, an MP3 player or Music app for the NookPhone would be really sweet! I'd love to be able to listen to K.K. songs I've bought whenever, without standing directly next to a music player—and I think it'd be extra cool if you could unlock the regular hourly music some way too.
• More plants! I'd love some new ones, but I also really want the tropical fruits, dandelions, clovers, and violets back to make a return as well.
• Also, gold nuggets are nice but I want silver and the other pretty gemstones back too. ;u;

hopefully whatever it is it will have this hairdo again lmao View attachment 467248

i guess i want a new ac that's basically new horizons but with the old features/characters, better villager dialogue, more shops and more shop upgrades. the perfect game in my opinion would be new leaf mashed with new horizons, a new game needs better villager dialogue, more shops and upgrades. it has to be more engaging as well, in new horizons there's nothing to work towards except for getting k.k. slider in the beginning and achieving a 5 star island. meanwhile in previous games you had various things to work towards. the things that i am not fond of in new horizons are crafting (but ik i'll have to live with that bc that would turn off lots of players to the new game), the island setting (i think it would be better to go back to that classic town setting) and tom nook (it was better when he owned nook homes imo, he's too involved in nh when isabelle should be since she's still your secretary.) i don't think a 360 view would be beneficial since the rolling log view has been an animal crossing staple since wild world.

I've already stated this but I want more random dialogue with NPCs that change the game lol (like rover asking you rando questions determining your face & harriet with your hair, plus new stuff). The only thing that comes to mind that was similar in nh was the beginning "what would you bring to an island" question that I'm pretty sure did nothing at all lol. I'm glad they had the 1 but you knowww.

If they could acquire old developers from each game prior along with some fresh faces, then maybe they could all come up with a game rooted in what we've always known animal crossing to be (throughout each game), with new and differing features.

I'm not sure what the next game will be, but there are a few things I can hope for. For starters, I hope it goes back to its root with a more foresty theme. After that, I hope the map is much, much bigger. The most important thing I just thought of while typing this up: A complete game from the release date. [...] All past characters, NPCs and villagers need to be brought back, but with more new characters as well. [...] The shop upgrades is a major thing that needs to make a long awaited return. I could go on and on about what the next game will be, but hopefully it just includes the best of everything from all the past games.

What I would love to see is:
- The return of the train station. I missed that mode of traveling. It was so much cozier imo than flying in on a plane.
- No more island life. ACNH feels so... vacationy, which I get is the point but I miss just having my town.
- I'd LOVE to have a train to take me into the "city" again. I miss the shops and the 'city folk' vibe.
- BRING. BACK. PERFECT. FRUIT. Why do I miss it so much? Can't tell you, but I do.
- More hairstyles, honestly. Need more. Please.
- Bring back villager personalities and more dialogue. [...] it was kind of fun to dislike some villagers based on how they treated you.
- And this? this one might be controversial but I'd love a way to toggle on and off the idea of villagers just moving away again like in the old games. Like, I like the way they have it now so no ones town can get messed up, but having the option to turn it off would be awesome
- I want MORE to do with my friends. Give us mini games, or challenges we can do together. More multiplayer options is always going to be fun for me.

-More of a town feel than "island" from new horizons. Kind of a feeling of "returning home" from your island getaway kinda thing.
-I'd like for there to be less pressure for your town to be perfect as there is in NH. Don't get me wrong, I love ACNH. [...] However the way it's presented makes it seem like you have to make your island as perfect as you possibly can - like on youtube, instagram etc.
-I don't want my villagers to call me "them" anymore either. Unpopular opinion, I know, but I like my gender and would like to be referred to as such. What's the point of having a "style" in NH when your villagers aren't gonna call you by what you choose?
-Bring back a lot of NL stuff - it's the best game by far in terms of features.
-Definitely keep improving upon graphics as we've seen in NH. It's amazing how much the AC graphics have improved over the past 20 or so years.
-I love crafting and cooking. More veggies and fruits please! Definitely strawberries and cucumbers and limes, lemons and fruits we had in NL.
-Give Porter, Pelly, Phyllis, Pete, Rover, Resettis, Reese, Dr. Shrunk, Gracie, Phineas, Lyle, etc their jobs back in some way.
-Give the player ability to choose between train, bus or plane. Or maybe a new form of transportation! Hmm, maybe a boat back hometown.
-Be able to mail Mom back!
-Get letters from Dad again! (Is he ok? Did he leave Mom?)
-Be able to mail Dad back!
-Cosier music for that game. Maybe the ability to choose music from different games. Original and remixes of previous AC games like SSB has. maybe a specific radio with a layout like smash's music.

I've only played New Leaf and New Horizons so I'm hoping the next AC game will be a mix of the two in addition to having new content and quality of life improvements of course. I'm hoping they bring back some old characters like the post office birds and Porter. Maybe in the new game we can go to Porter when we want to visit friends and go to the dodo brothers when we visit some version of the nook mile ticket islands, harv's island, and whatnot. I also miss the minigames in ACNL as well as the games you can play with people on Tortimer's island. Most importantly though I want the old villagers who used to live in your town/island to remember you and visit randomly somehow.

So I guess my one request is for the next game to not feel incomplete.

If they just combined New Leaf and New Horizons, with much more dialogue, then it would be the perfect AC game.

Whatever they do, I hope they give you the option to change your name.

I think they went too far into the customisation and decoration aspect and NH shows it. I want more interaction and dialogue with villagers, more villager likes and dislikes, and maybe even a better detailed friendship mechanic (yes, including a negative level. I want an archnemesis!). Personally tired of the mandatory rural island life so there needs to be an option to build your town according how you want it. If you want a large city, you can do it! Want a rural farm? Sure! Maybe even options if your town is on an island or part of the mainland. They could do so much more yet theyre choosing not to...

i know i have posted here before but i really hope a new animal crossing game brings back the sporadic aspect of the older games. new villager moves in where you want to put something else? well too bad, you’re just going to have to deal with it until they move out.

don’t get me wrong, i love customization, but having the ability to customize everything did not make new horizons enjoyable for me. in fact, im completely against the idea of including terraforming in the next game but it’s sensible to keep it for the players that started with new horizons.

I miss this too!! Along with villagers randomly moving out, the randomness made it feel more real. I also agree with scaling back customization. I want the next game to be more like a life simulator again and less like a town building simulator lol.

What they all said.
TLDR Put all the games (NH included) into a pot, throw in a couple new things, and let it simmer for a while. Maybe don't include everything from the past games (cough cough grass deterioration cough cough), but a lot of things.