In August 2024, Nintendo’s free-to-play cellular incarnation of Animal Crossing was introduced to be coming to an finish this November. It’s now been revealed that its alternative, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Full, will seem December 3, and ditch all the 2017 recreation’s microtransactions for a one-off sum. Besides, the sum is large, the sport’s shedding options, and there’s no exception for long-time gamers of the unique Pocket Camp.
Nintendo’s experiments with cellular gaming have usually been at odds with the ethos the corporate normally tries to specific. At one level the now defunct Mario Kart Tour sported deeply controversial gacha mechanics. The corporate has additionally been fast to close down video games that aren’t performing as needed, to the frustration of long-term gamers, with a bunch of various cellular titles—together with Dragalia Misplaced and Dr. Mario World—canned because the cellular ventures started in 2016.
Pocket Camp’s state of affairs isn’t fairly as ultimate as others, like Mario Kart Tour’s not receiving updates because the finish of 2023. As an alternative, individuals who’ve been taking part in the Animal Crossing recreation since its 2017 launch will have the ability to switch throughout their progress to the brand new recreation. However solely after paying a whopping $20 entry price. And it’ll solely be up to date for one more 12 months. And it’s shedding options. And oh boy this doesn’t look nice.
There’s one thing of a concession towards simply how huge a value that is for a cellular recreation individuals might have already spent huge sums on beforehand—for the primary two months, Nintendo will likely be charging half that a lot, ending on January 31, 2025. Nonetheless, one other $10 is a kick within the eye for individuals who’ve invested over the past seven years.
Pocket Camp Full doesn’t mark a step ahead for the sport, however moderately will see it persevering with with a barely decreased set of options, and the promise of yet another 12 months of updates. In the event you’ve obtained a longtime village, it’ll all switch over, together with all of your Friendship Ranges, however not your leaf tickets, that are being eliminated completely. However in a extremely shocking transfer, Nintendo makes clear on its replace web page that “There is no such thing as a low cost particularly for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp customers.”
Why not?! What a deeply peculiar transfer, to not reward those that’ve been subscribing for $3 to $8 a month since 2019, when subs started! The sport prices the identical for me, who has by no means performed, as for the one who’s put in $480 in subscription charges.
Varied on-line options are getting ditched, reminiscent of sharing items and the Market Field, and interacting with different islands is changing into a complete bizarre ordeal. A lot of the bonuses that got here with subscriptions are going too.
It additionally seems like Nintendo intends to cease updating the sport as incessantly come October 2025, after which level there are not any plans so as to add new cookies or new occasions, suggesting the $20 entry price is shopping for you entry to the final correct 12 months for the sport. Who is aware of? This can be timed to overlap with the discharge of a brand new Animal Crossing recreation for the Swap 2, given the conventional launch schedule of the collection suggests one must be due.
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