Nintendo tries again on mobile with a $10 Animal Crossing game arriving in December

It was a sad day when Nintendo announced that its free mobile game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, would soon shut down. The app is ending its service on November 28; however, it’s also getting a revival. This time, though, it’ll be a paid game.

On December 3, Nintendo is launching a paid version of the app called Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete. For $10, users are getting a new rendition of the game, which includes most of the same gameplay mechanics and some new ones as well. 

The launch of the new Animal Crossing game follows several other attempts by Nintendo to bring its most popular titles to mobile over the years, to mixed success. While Pokemon Go, a collab with Niantic, remains popular, other games featuring big IP, including Mario, didn’t meet expectations.

As Nintendo explains in a 12-minute-long video on YouTube, Pocket Camp Complete comes with several new features, such as the ability to walk around the island with your favorite villager and “Camper Cards,” which players can customize and trade with friends via QR codes. 

Players are also getting a new mountain location, Whistle Pass, where friends can gather and gift items to each other. There, players can enjoy daily performances by KK Slider every night at 7 p.m. 

Complete will also give players the ability to play fully offline, eliminating the need for a constant internet connection. However, since the app doesn’t need a connection, users can no longer play directly with friends online, so they can’t use the Market Box to buy or sell items. 

Nintendo is also discontinuing two other features, including its premium currency, “Leaf Tickets” and Pocket Camp Club, the paid monthly subscription. Complete will switch to “Leaf Tokens,” which can be redeemed by exchanging Bells or completing tasks. 

Plus, some of the features from Pocket Camp Club are making it to the new app, such as “Merry Memories,” which gives users designs and stickers for their planner and seasonal event rewards; “Happy Helper,” which lets players appoint a villager as a caretaker to collect items; and “Furniture & Fashion,” letting users save multiple layout designs and outfits.

Additionally, long-time players of the game can transfer their old data to the new version once it launches, letting them maintain their level and keep all their bells and items. Some of their data can’t be preserved, however. For instance, Leaf Tickets won’t be transferred, so we recommend spending those before Nintendo takes down the app. 

It’s important to note that Complete will only cost $10 until January 31, 2024. Nintendo plans to then increase the price to $20, which is very steep compared to other mobile games. Players can now pre-order on the Google Play Store and App Store. 

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp launched in 2017 and quickly became a huge hit, achieving 15 million downloads in its first six days of availability. While it’s disappointing that Nintendo now charges for a game that was once free, we still look forward to trying out the new version. Even if it’s priced way higher than we hoped.