The Future of Animal Crossing: Revolutionizing the Gaming World with an Exciting Twist

The Animal Crossing series has gained immense popularity in the life sim genre, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons taking the franchise to new heights. While the traditional Animal Crossing formula has proven successful, the series must aim for something bigger in order to surpass the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. To achieve this, it would be ideal for the series to break free from the limitations of the life sim genre and incorporate elements from other genres, particularly MMO-like features.

Recently, there has been a noticeable trend of non-MMO franchises incorporating online functionality that resembles an MMO, without fully transitioning into one. Diablo 4 serves as a prime example of this phenomenon, where players can encounter others in the game world and participate in events together, even without being in a party. A similar approach to online multiplayer could be just what the Animal Crossing series needs to elevate its multiplayer system beyond the level achieved in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Animal Crossing Could Incorporate MMO Elements in its Next Entry

Animal Crossing: New Horizons falls short in its approach to connecting players, despite its emphasis on playing with friends. The current process of opening the island's gates or using a Dodo Code to invite friends is already a hassle, and once they're on the player's island, there is little to do that justifies the effort. To enhance the multiplayer experience, future Animal Crossing games should allow players to witness and participate in the simultaneous construction of their towns.

To enable this online functionality, the next Animal Crossing game must embrace an open-world concept. This would be a game-changer for the series, as it would grant players the freedom to explore the entire map before settling on a location to build their town. Similar to the Mystery Island Tours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players could venture beyond their established town to gather resources, recruit new villagers, and even visit special areas such as the City from Animal Crossing: City Folk.

This type of gameplay loop presents an ideal opportunity for MMO-like collaboration among Animal Crossing players. They would have the ability to encounter each other while exploring beyond the boundaries of their individual towns. It would be a refreshing change to witness other players engaged in their own activities such as chopping down trees, excavating fossils, and fishing, without the need for explicit invitations into one's own town. This way, players could enjoy the presence of others during their adventures, while still maintaining control over who is allowed to enter their town, limited to their friends. Implementing such a change would require Nintendo to revamp their approach to online play in the Animal Crossing series. However, it could prove beneficial as it would infuse the game with a greater sense of vitality and expand the world beyond the confines of the player's charming little town.

This game doesn't necessarily have to completely adopt the MMO formula. Simply allowing players to interact with others within the same world instance would be sufficient to create a more immersive experience and encourage players to explore beyond their hometown. Although developing a game of this magnitude would be a significant challenge, the immense popularity of the Animal Crossing series, particularly after the success of New Horizons, justifies its potential. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is currently accessible for the Nintendo Switch platform.