Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons nearly a year ago on March 20th, 2020. The game is the fifth main game in the Animal Crossing series and has been a staple in surviving the pandemic for many. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a life simulation game that is played in real time. This installment of the game takes place on a deserted island and players are tasked with designing, decorating, and financing the island while socializing with and befriending the community of animal villagers living on the island. 

 

Nintendo has regularly added major updates to the game since its release date. The Nintendo Direct posted on February 17th introduced players to the collaboration of Nintendo classic Super Mario and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and gave a first look at items that will be added to the game and available on March 1st. 

Public Relations Perspective

 

If I were on Nintendo’s public relations team I would be utilizing the nostalgia and popularity of the Super Mario series to my advantage. The series has been around for over 40 years and has grown a massive following and to be a household name. I would advise Nintendo to look into what the older fans of both series are looking for by doing market research and having employees searching internet chat groups. 

 

I have an inside scoop on Animal Crossing, because I do enjoy the game. In my opinion, the most exciting item being added to the game are the green warp-pipes from the Super Mario series. While adding pipes will not match the aesthetic of my island, it will allow me to transport from one section of my island to another. This is big news in the Animal Crossing community; this is the first time we have seen anything like this in the Animal Crossing series. I would advise Nintendo to release content that includes the warp-pipes and shows players actually using the pipes on their islands to show versatility and create more excitement. 

I think it would be interesting if Nintendo were to do more collaborations between Animal Crossing and the company’s other series. The company often collaborates with other companies, for example, there was recently a make-up line collaboration between Animal Crossing X ColourPop Cosmetics. ColourPop is an American cosmetics brand based in Los Angeles, California. 

Final Thoughts

Being an Animal Crossing fan I am very excited for this update and look forward to more updates from Nintendo to come. I would also be interested in more collaborations and items being added to the game. Nintendo is a very large company with an extensive catalog of content that could be incorporated into games across the community. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons X Super Mario collaboration is a respectable update and is accompanied by the virtual snow disappearing for islands in the Northern Hemisphere.