Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons

  A game for the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite in which the player is tasked with bringing civilisation to a deserted island
• Starting the game

  1. Player starts with a shelter and some basic tools

  2. To begin building their dream town they'll need to hunt, collect and save
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons

  • Few set missions or objectives, players have the freedom to do everything at their own speed
  • Follows the circadian rhythm of a real-world day, with different activities and characters available at different times of day
• Accessibility

  The game is accessible and has few barriers to younger users, but has also proven very popular with adults
• The game helped with loneliness during the pandemic lockdowns


  The game is creative and engaging yet also peaceful, as your character adapts to the pace of their new island life
• Multiplayer options


  1. Party Play - up to 4 users on the same island using one Switch

  2. Wireless Play - up to 8 people on the same island, each using their own Switch

  3. Online Play - visit other players' islands, requires Nintendo Online subscription
• Animal Crossing doesn't offer micro-transactions or loot boxes
• There is no way to speed up the game, the player simply has to wait until the next real-world day for their buildings to be completed
• Amiibo cards


  Required to invite specific characters to your island
• Nintendo Online subscription


  Required to play online and invite other players to your island
• The game is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch platform
• Versions of the game can be purchased as a cartridge or a download code
• The game is the 13th best-selling game of all time
• The game has received largely positive reviews across commerce sites and review aggregators
• The game has won BAFTA awards for 'Game Beyond Entertainment' and 'Best Multiplayer'
• Media production, distribution and circulation


  • Specialised and institutionalised nature of the video game industry
  • Relationship between technological change and media production, distribution and circulation
  • Significance of patterns of ownership and control, including conglomerate ownership, vertical integration and diversification
  • Significance of economic factors, including commercial and not-for-profit public funding, to media industries and their products
  • How media organisations maintain, including marketing varieties of audiences nationally and globally
• Budgets for games vary and the game was kept in-house. There has only been one DLC pack and fans have criticised the lack of additional content.
• The cultural impact of Animal Crossing New Horizons

  • Significant
  • Much of the game's success was due to its role in a franchise, nostalgia, or the fact that the pandemic hit during the release window and encouraged more people to engage in positive gaming experiences
  • Prosumers can also share content across web forums such as Discord, Twitch or YouTube
• With the game's universal appeal and low age rating


  • There is huge scope for merchandising opportunities, from soft plush toys to lunchbox items, branded headphones, comics, playing cards and even licensing for games such as a Monopoly: Animal Crossing New Horizons edition
• The producers have also considered ways to capitalise on social and cultural trends


  • Some games allow the purchase of new skins or texture packs, however with Animal Crossing there is a strong focus on personalisation and customisation
  • Fandom sites and a wide range of official and sponsored websites provide guides for audiences to access settings and customise items, from character skin tone, hair colour and even textures on the furniture
  • This level of diversity and flexibility allows marketing teams to show how the game can stay relevant
• The regulatory framework of contemporary media in the UK and the impact of 'new' digital technologies on media regulation, including the role of individual producers.
• PEG rating system

  Applies to Animal Crossing, which is regarded as being family friendly and is rated PEGI 3. The ESRB rates the game using different criteria, awarding it an E (suitable for everyone).
• You could consider whether a game such as Animal Crossing even needs regulating and perhaps consider more the impact of freely available, fan-made videos where language and content is likely to be more risqué and unregulated by such bodies.
• It is also worth considering how material is accessed and played. Some parent forums discuss the likelihood of issues children could face during online play.
• Building a detailed case study with examples will help you support any arguments relating to the need for regulation.
• There are many discussion points to consider when looking at audience reception and use of Animal Crossing

  • The game is a global and commercial success and also praised by several high-profile critics and gaming institutions
  • The game has amassed such a following that there are several wikis and fan accounts discussing updates, patches and tips and tricks
• There is evidence to suggest that mobile and hand-held devices are really driving the sales of Animal Crossing forward


  • The appeal is being fuelled by a new generation of gamers who prefer hand-held devices over traditional consoles
  • The continued development of fan-made content across social media platforms and dedicated fan sites and blogs means that there is an active community of gamers who share a common interest linked to Animal Crossing
• Animal Crossing has universal appeal


  • It is useful to explore how such a game can appeal to different ages, genders and audiences from different social and cultural backgrounds
  • The variety of different characters is certainly a contributing factor to the game's success, but as is the way in which audiences can control and shape their own worlds and create new identities through maps and craft kits
• The developers have also carefully considered how gamers can personalise and modify their avatars and items, such as furniture, through an accessible settings icon in the game


  • Audiences interested in a particular topic or who want to express their identities through the game in relation to different genders or ethnicities can do so collectively online
  • Most recently, in August 2020, gamers brought social activism into play by donning Black Lives Matter (BLM) caps and staging in-game protests as a form of activism
  • Gamers, using social media platforms like Twitch, can then host or stream these protests and raise funds for various causes, which also attracts a more diverse range of gamers
  • This can lead to the game coming under fire, and following its use for Hong Kong pro-democracy protests it was removed from sale in China
• Animal Crossing and subsequent versions and variations of the game offer familiar pleasures to existing fans (narrative features, open world gameplay, etc.) along with new elements to target a wider audience (e.g. Happy Home Paradise)

  • There already exists an established network of fans across the internet, who share game footage, tutorials and hacks so that gamers can get new experiences from the game
  • The ability for gamers to add levels of personalisation, such as skin tone, inclusive hair-styles and body positive imagery, has become a large focus for gaming audiences
• This links to the importance of fandom as a social context and how games producers have to respond to audiences to ensure a loyal fan base
• How media industries target audiences through the content and appeal of media products and through the ways in which they are marketed, distributed and circulated


  • There was a lot of anticipation for this game with a die-hard base of fans who have enjoyed playing it across different platforms
  • The game was initially planned for 2019 release but it was delayed, causing a 3% drop in share value for Nintendo; however the arrival of the game in 2020 made it one of the fastest selling games of all time
  • Subsequently, a buzz about the game was created
  • Having a franchise such as Animal Crossing can create a long-tail effect generating income across older platforms, but also creates an active audience pool which can continue to grow as further franchises develop in the coming years
  • Ultimately, for the game to remain a success, producers and audiences must work symbiotically to create content that meets the demands of a socially and culturally sophisticated audience who are active, creative users of mobile devices
• Candidates should spend time watching a variety of content linked to the game to understand how audiences play and interact with each other. Similarly, the marketing material for the game, both official and unofficial, should be explored to see how game elements appeal to different audiences.
• A wealth of introducing the following theoretical perspectives at A. Level.
• Regulation-Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt

  New technologies (in this case the convergent devices with access to internet, Bluetooth, etc.) open up opportunities and risks that complicate regulation.
• Cultural Industries - David Hesmondhalgh

  Explore how cultural industry companies attempt to minimise risk and maximise audiences. The game has a large fan base and is owned by a global leader in gaming. Their trusted reputation for creating family friendly content is a key factor.
• Identity - David Gauntlett

  Gauntlett conducted a series of studies based around the use of Lego to create and share ideas and has also compared this to how audiences use the internet (one giant allotment). Making is Connecting is all about how people build a stronger sense of self-identity through creative practices. Animal Crossing allowed interaction at a time when people were forced to self-isolate and stay at home. The critical response to New Horizons as a media product highlights how the game is a way for people to socially create and interact.
• Fandom-Henry Jenkins

  Video games offer social experiences (online multiplayer options) as well as communities outside of the core game experience. Jenkins' key quote 'if it doesn't spread, it's dead' can be used as a discussion point to track the birth and popularity of the franchise. Nintendo has a strong, well-developed fan base that could be researched in more detail in relation to Jenkins' ideas about participatory culture.