Nintendo’s former marketing lead Kit Ellis has dumped a bit of cold water on Animal Crossing frenzy, saying that, in his experience, it would be weird for Nintendo to do a Switch 2 edition this early.
If it wasn’t before, Animal Crossing definitely became one of Nintendo’s most important franchises after how overwhelmingly popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons was. The Switch edition became one of the best-selling games ever made, beating out the series’ previous record holder, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, by over 30 million copies. So, naturally, you think Nintendo would want to get a Switch 2 sequel out ASAP, but according to the company’s former marketing manager, that would be unlike Nintendo’s usual approach to the series.
Responding to the recent fervour around an Animal Crossing Tweet, former Nintendo marketing lead Kit Ellis explains that when Nintendo launches a console, the first few years after launch are typically focused on the hardcore Nintendo fans, as these are the people who are actively hunting down consoles.
Whereas with Animal Crossing “there was a recognition that after we release this game, we’re going to be entering a new kind of era for the system, where the audience we’re going to be speaking to is completely different.” Ellis points out that when New Horizons released, Nintendo started using mainstream celebrities like Brie Larson to help advertise the game, for example.
While he obviously doesn’t know for sure as he left Nintendo in 2022, Ellis thinks “it’s maybe a little bit early in the life cycle of Nintendo Switch 2 for Nintendo to be introducing the next Animal Crossing game.” He says, Nintendo has an opportunity to make the most of the more hardcore Nintendo fans, then use Animal Crossing to bring a new wave of more casual gamers in for their favourite series.
