| Animal Crossing: New Horizons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EPD[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Aya Kyogoku |
| Producer(s) | Hisashi Nogami |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Koji Takahashi |
| Writer(s) | Makoto Wada |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Series | Animal Crossing |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
| Release | March 20, 2020 |
| Genre(s) | Social simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Animal Crossing: New Horizons[b] is a social simulation game developed and published by Nintendo in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch; it is the fifth main entry in the Animal Crossing series. In New Horizons, the player controls a character who moves to a deserted island after purchasing a getaway package from Tom Nook, accomplishes assigned tasks, and develops the island as they choose. They can gather and craft items, customize the island, and develop it into a community of anthropomorphic animals.
Development of New Horizons began in 2012, following the release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The game director, Aya Kyogoku, retained content from previous games to keep fans happy and also ensured that the game was simple enough to appeal to newcomers. With art and graphics, the developers used the concept of "trigger of play" and the "imagination gap", where the former kept the gameplay simplistic and easy to pick up while the latter kept the art style simple for the player to imagine the rest. The game was announced at E3 2019 via a Nintendo Direct and after an extended development period, was released worldwide on March 20, 2020.
New Horizons received acclaim from critics, who praised its gameplay and customization options. The game was nominated for over a dozen awards and was a major commercial success, selling over 44 million copies worldwide and breaking the console game record for most digital units sold in a single month. It is the best-selling game in the Animal Crossing series, the second best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch, the best-selling game of all time in Japan, and the 14th best-selling video game in history. Its commercial success has been attributed in part to its release amid global stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The game has been used as a substitute for social interactions such as weddings and graduation ceremonies, as well as political campaigning and virtual protests. The game also inspired fan creations, such as a trading website, a talk show, comics, and merchandise. It received major updates adding new content until November 2021.
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