Nintendo finally making an effort to improve Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Animal Crossing has been one of the most popular games since its release in March of 2020. Skyrocketing up both the Switch units sold list (to second) and the Nintendo all-time units sold list (tenth there), the game has been nothing but a smash hit. It has become one of the most profitable games Nintendo has.

That's why it was so weird when Nintendo refused to mention it during its 40 minute E3 showcase. The entire Nintendo Direct ignored the game, and many fans were upset by that.

Shortly thereafter, Nintendo president Doug Bowser stated that the company had future plans for Animal Crossing despite the glaring omission (they could have just mentioned that in the first place at E3). That was a while ago, and there's been nothing but radio silence and the occasional monthly or seasonal update to the game.

i cant believe animal crossing youtubers are resorting to covering pocket camp because new horizons is so dead

— alex 🍀 (@legendoflucio) July 20, 2021

Nintendo improving Animal Crossing

According to YouTuber SwitchForce, Nintendo appears to finally be making a real effort to not only improve the game, but actually take advice from some of its players. An email showed up in his inbox from Nintendo wanting feedback. Most companies do this, but Nintendo has often sent out feedback surveys and those have directly altered or enforced Nintendo's decisions for games. They really do value their player base.

Nintendo. Image via Wikimedia Commons

The email asked him how much he had been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons lately, and asked about his feelings about the game recently with a survey link. The survey began with a lot of demographic questions and play time numbers.

Nintendo survey going out asking when was the last time we played Animal Crossing New Horizons 🤔 pic.twitter.com/tBSwHDBGyy

— Rebecca Stone (@forestminish) July 20, 2021

Then the survey got better because it finally gave fans and players a chance to express their opinions on the overall game. Questions like "I could always find something interesting to do" and "I experienced a lot of freedom in the game" were accompanied by a five point Lichert scale.

ACNH Gameplay. Image via YouTube

The survey went on to ask lots more questions about the game and players feelings towards it. While there's no real idea on what Nintendo is going to do with this, one thing is becoming clear: Nintendo is interested in making Animal Crossing better for its players.