Revolutionary Collaboration: Super Mario and Animal Crossing Unite!

Highlights

The Animal Crossing series should consider remastering or remaking its earlier titles to make them more accessible to new fans who started with Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Animal Crossing has the potential to follow in the footsteps of the Mario franchise by releasing a lineup of its beloved titles, including Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk, for the Nintendo Switch. A remastered version of Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Switch would surely gain popularity, particularly due to the forthcoming unavailability of its online component after the shutdown of the 3DS servers in 2024.

The Animal Crossing series has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, thanks to the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Fans are eagerly anticipating the next installment and speculating on the various directions it could take, such as an open-world game or one focusing on underground exploration. While the development of the follow-up is likely underway, it would be wise for the series to draw inspiration from the Mario series in the meantime.

Although the Animal Crossing series has been around since the GameCube era, the earlier titles have never received a remake or remaster. This has made it challenging for fans to access these older games, as they are restricted to outdated consoles that are no longer supported. Considering the influx of new fans brought in by Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it would be a logical move for Nintendo to remake or remaster the earlier entries in the franchise. This would provide easier access to the series' roots for these new fans.

Animal Crossing Should Follow Mario's Lead with Remakes

Nintendo has been treating fans of the Mario franchise with remakes and remasters of beloved titles such as Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. These upcoming releases, along with the accessibility of Mario games on various Nintendo consoles, have satisfied fans. As a result, it would be beneficial for the Animal Crossing series to follow suit and bring attention to its classic titles. Unlike Mario, Animal Crossing has not been as easily accessible due to its online multiplayer and real-time gameplay. However, given the series' recent popularity, it would be worthwhile for Nintendo to invest in remastering some of Animal Crossing's older titles. Following the example of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Nintendo could create a collection for the Nintendo Switch that includes the original Animal Crossing for GameCube, Animal Crossing: Wild World, and Animal Crossing: City Folk.

Many fans consider Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS to be the best entry in the series, making a remastered version on the Nintendo Switch highly anticipated. This is especially crucial now, as the online component of the game will no longer be available once the 3DS servers are shut down in Spring 2024. Physical copies of Animal Crossing: New Leaf are becoming scarce, and it is currently unavailable digitally. To avoid losing the game's legacy and appeal, Nintendo should capitalize on this opportunity to remaster the game and make it accessible to new fans before it becomes obsolete after the server shutdown.

It is understandable that Nintendo has been hesitant to remaster or remake any Animal Crossing titles, as supporting two games with real-time events simultaneously may divide the player base. However, Animal Crossing: New Horizons successfully coexisted with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on mobile devices without issues. Moreover, considering that the Switch title is no longer receiving new content unless there is an unexpected update, remastering or remaking classic titles, as seen in the Mario franchise, is an effective way to bridge the gap between mainline releases. This approach not only keeps the legacy of these games alive but also allows them to be enjoyed by contemporary audiences.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for Nintendo Switch.