Nintendo has been making some big moves lately. The Switch 2 console has been detailed, priced, and given a launch date. They revealed a new Mario Kart, a new Donkey Kong, and showcased a slew of highly anticipated titles (i count the days for Tomodachi Life).

One detail of the new console is the reveal of updated versions of Switch 1 games. Games like Breath of the Wild, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Mario Party Jamboree will be getting updates that take advantage of the greater hardware in the Switch 2. It’s such a big deal, that some will even cost money.

Tom Nook Suspiciously Quiet

But what about Animal Crossing? New Horizons is the second best selling Nintendo Switch game of all time, losing to Mario Kart 8. ACNH was an undeniable success. And yet, our attention was pushed more to Mario Party, Metroid, and Zelda.

Nintendo has a history of neglecting an IP for far longer than they should. Metroid Prime 4 being a hallmark example of that habit. So this very well may be simply an instance where they choose their priorities accordingly, having decided that Animal Crossing ran it’s course.

Them shutting down the live services for Pocket Camp, their Animal Crossing mobile game, does kind of lend to this idea.

Conspiracy Time

Or, hear me out, what if they have something else big planned? On average, we saw about a five year gap between Animal Crossing games, with the gap between New Leaf and New Horizons being the biggest at eight years. And as of last month, New Horizons is over five years old. We’re in perfect prime time for a new Animal Crossing game, one that might take full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware.

The developer Nintendo EDP, has been real busy developing both Mario Kart World and the new Donkey Kong, with those nearing launch, I’m willing to believe they’ve either already started work on a new Animal Crossing, or will now shift greater focus on it’s development.

For all we know, Nintendo plans to announce a new game, set to release either this holiday season, or in March of next year. It’s possible!

And even if it isn’t, speculating wildly about Nintendo’s development plans is a decades old pastime.