Update 3 - Wed 19th Feb, 2020 04:45 GMT: And it's back - yes, after briefly disappearing from the Animal Crossing: New Horizons web page, the reference to "in-game purchases" has now returned. Very odd, indeed. Thanks again to CodyMKW for the heads up.
Update 2 - Thu 13th Feb, 2020 05:41 GMT: The reference to in-game purchases has now been removed from the ESRB rating section on the official Animal Crossing: New Horizons game page. All that's left is some comic mischief. Thanks to CodyMKW for the tip!
Original article - Sun 9th Feb, 2020 03:30 GMT: If the news about there being no cloud save support, or option to transfer your save data across to another system in Animal Crossing: New Horizons wasn't already enough, Nintendo of America's official game page is now saying there'll be "in-game purchases" within the latest entry.
In-game purchases could cover a lot of different things in this upcoming release. Assuming this information is correct, it wouldn't be the first time the series has included paid content. The 2017 mobile title Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp introduced microtransactions and eventually added a paid subscription service to celebrate its second-year anniversary.
If it's not something along these lines, it could perhaps be tied to paid DLC or a reference to the online service. Nintendo's rolled out extra content for a lot of major Switch releases, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see a game like this receive additional paid content. The 2012 title Animal Crossing: New Leaf also got the 'Welcome amiibo' update in 2016, but it was free.
Interestingly, if you visit another game page on the Nintendo of America website like Fire Emblem: Three Houses or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you can see 'in-game purchases' is mentioned underneath the rating section, and both of these games include DLC. What do you make of this latest finding? Post a comment below.
[source gonintendo.com, via nintendo.com]
Comments 173
DLC ain't a bad idea for this game.
Very sad if true. I remember New Leaf had all dlc for free and they were very generous. Was hoping for the same situation this time around, but I guess nothing good lasts forever.
I'd be okay with small individual furniture sets being 99p DLC packs especially if we see them arriving as a trickle over the next year. Seems a better approach than expensive packs that would see you having to pay bigger money to have access to the few items you might want. Fingers crossed this entry does well.
Maybe they will do a hybrid method. Some dlc is free, some is paid larger packs, and some is micro packs for a buck or two. Personally, I'm not against bulk packs if it's fair but detest being milked by constant micro packs.
Nintendo is actively trying to ruin my hype on this game.
Nintendo... are you okay?
Oh they better not mess this up.
Nintendo clearly hates Animal Crossing fans at this point
Guys...this is almost definitely just going to be an in-game prompt to buy a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Other games have had the same marking (such as Pokémon, way before any paid DLC was announced).
You're all letting anxiety cloud logical judgement and making y'all melodramatic. Every single major release that Nintendo has put out that had an expansion pass has had this rating. If Animal Crossing is gonna get a big content update months or a year from now, that's probably what it is.
If I didn't have to buy 80 dollars worth of individual maps for Fire Emblem, and if literally none of those sub services have appeared outside of mobile, then no MTX is gonna come to this game. Think with your minds people, not with your fear.
<--- my reaction with every new daily negative news report on ACNH. Honestly, my hype for the game has seriously plummeted in the past weeks. I still have my pre-order, I'm still going to play it, but I feel like it will be a hollow disappointment on March 20th.
I really hope it is DLC. I’d hate for Nintendo to include items and cosmetics as paid content. Microtransactions have no place in 60 dollar games, no matter who is making it.
I think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves by assuming that the above is the case though. Everyone should’ve known that DLC was coming for this game.
We’ll see what happens.
Tom Nook is at it again!
@AshFoxX that comment will become really awkward if you change your profile picture
Oh, the Internet drama never rests, since the beginning of the year with the Pokemon DLC, Byleth in Smash Bros., Pokemon Home, Platinum Games publishing their games and wanting to do it with Bayonetta 2 and 3 for all consoles and now Animal Crossing with the Save problems and now "Microtransactions"; Ok, the only thing I will say is ..., well, better not, As much as how much I want to give an objective and positive opinion here to the matter, it disappoints me, AND IT IS SERIOUS, I am more disappointed by the attitude of the people here than the "unfortunate" events of Nintendo that I mentioned, well, keep going, you do what you want, I will not say anything about these sad dramas ...
This is just me thinking but what if your character in New Horizons can call your character in Pocket Camp via cell phone (we know both games have a cell phone) and you could request furniture be built. And that’s somehow how the pay/microtransactions work. Almost like object-orientated programming: the foundation for a marketplace already exists in Pocket Camp so you’d be “calling” it from New Horizons.
Ok ok, I know it sounds crazy but what if?
Going to add this also: stay positive: Remember how Nintendo’s stance has been covered here? Nintendo wants to make sure the micro transactions on their mobile games are limited and not scammy or whatever. I’m sure that will carry over here, IF it’s even going to be a thing at all. STAY POSITIVE! This is animal crossing we’re talking about!
Jesus Christ these comments. Guys, what did Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Yoshi's Crafted World, Pokémon Sword/Sheild, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, and many other first-party games all had? IN. GAME. PURCHASES. This is not any different from them. Ya'll act like they're talking about microtransactions. I don't want to start anything here, but I truly question the reading comprehension here at times.
Edit: Also https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/20/how-tom-nook-uses-his-money-and-14-more-details-about-animal-crossing-new-horizons-e3-2019
Did people seriously forget about this interview back at E3 2019?
Who cares? The DLC for Zelda was awesome. The DLC for Mario Kart 8 was awesome. Who says this has to be a bad thing?
I bet its the option to buy Nintendo Online ingame.
Nintendo isn't the type of company to have microtransation i cant think of any first party full priced nintendo games that have microtransations (not including DLC but that isn't really microtransations
Could be that it has a way to buy Nintendo online from the game as well.
As long as they are Season paks or DLC for reasonable prices most Switch owners of the game will not bat a eye on it.
what happened to a proper game that had a beginning middle and end now everything is more of a cash grab...that might great for you rich people but i'm poor...this paid dlc i got one thing to say...your killin me Smalls
@Slasher what in game purchases did Odyssey have? Just curious, I didn’t recall any.
I mean, this is a franchise that hasn't seen a new mainline entry in 7 years, so I'd hope for some paid DLC content to keep me engaged with the title while we wait another half decade or more for the next entry.
@ShadJV My bad, I just realized that didn't have any PAID DLC and Yoshi's Crafted World didn't have any at all.
Edit: You know, the one with Luigi and the balloons. Unless you personally don't count a free update as dlc.
@gloom keep in mind. this is the same team that did Splatoon and Splatoon 2. Splatoon 2 had an expansion pack and free content.
don't lose hope of free content just because of possible paid DLC or an Expansion Pass.
@Slasher was just checking, I was wondering if I missed or forgot something.
Could possibly be something like Smash, where you can buy dlc, before the content is revealed, or released.
Ok guys, for those that don't want to bother looking at that interview, at least look up "Nook Miles" for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and you'll find out where that label is coming from. Unless something more egregious comes off from this supposed Animal Crossing specific direct that's been rumored(which I think is really unlikely since the director AND producer said there won't be any direct connection between this and that mobile game outside of collaboration items) then it shouldn't be a serious problem.
Pretty sure is DLC like in many recent Nintendo console games. I don't know why you're making such a fuss.
Bunch of knee jerk reactions here.
This could literally refer to buying NSO in-game folks. How can your interest in the game decrease based off of this?? 😂 We know nothing about any downloadable content, if it'll have any at all.
I'd imagine it'll have some sort of DLC. Thankfully Nintendo does DLC right though.
@Gravitron you know as well as I do the save thing is to stop hackers exploiting the online portion of the game.
DLC could just be a bag of bells.
Nintendo should know what players like: micro transactions! As in replacing the entire game currency with real money with the impossibility to convert it back. NintEAndo would be a dream (for investors and nobody else)
I am fine with dlc if it had some meat to it and the price is fair to what it offers.
Also I hope there is no micro transactions in the game.
I have a feeling it's that shady Tom Nook character who is behind all this.
As long it's optional DLC like the main game will have enough content then that's fine always figure Animal Crossing to dlc
Maybe we can buy additional islands for our consoles eh
Such a shame to see such greed.
Well, for a $60 game to have additional paid content, is a deal breaker for me. They already ruined Pokémon Sword/Shield that way, and now I'm strongly considering cancelling my preorder for Animal Crossing. I have way too much blind loyalty to Nintendo. They just are NOT the company they once were. So very disappointed. 🙁
I don’t know why they bothered with cloud saves sometimes, but it’s almost assuredly referring to dlc, not micro transactions. Tho, if they were to test the waters, it would probably be Animal Crossing.
Wait a moment before taking up your torches and pitchforks, folks. No way Nintendo is adding microtransactions into a retail Switch game - especially something as high-profile as Animal Crossing. This warning is most likely due to an in-game prompt to buy a NSO online subscription if you don’t already have one, or perhaps there will be an expansion pass a year down the line or something like that. Zelda BotW, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Mario + Rabbids and Pokemon Sword/Shield all had this same warning, to name a few, and none of them include microtransactions. Chill.
Folks are jumping to some pretty wild conclusions based on nothing.
And how could anyone's interest in this game possibly diminish when they still have shown us next to nothing on the game?
Red flag right there. I was considering a purchase, but now that'll depend on the nature of those purchases as well.
My guess would be the usual Season Pass stuff which Nintendo loves to do so their games will effectively cost above 80€ - but I wouldn't be surprised if it were something... worse.
@Flowerlark is it not just media blowing everything out of proportion
you can pay to backup your save files
Nintendo is going on a dlc spree lately. Not good, not good.
Here's hoping they just do Island minigame packs ala Luigi's Mansion 3.
Can't wait to see what they have in store, Nintendo is the best at DLC.
People just want something to moan about. Getting used to it with the Switch generation of “fans”
Haven’t been disappointed by any of their DLC yet, keeps the game fresh and after I completed Zelda, gave me some very welcome new content to pull me back into it again.
@TheAwesomeBowser if I didn't know any better I would have sworn that Nintendo hired a bunch of EA executives.
I am not against anything that's obtainable with your work/time in the game. Separating content behind a paywall = move in my opinion.
Just make the price higher from the start (be honest about it= simple as that) and support the game longer with fresh content.
@tgchan Options are better, some don't want to spend $100 on a game, some don't mind.
If it's microtransactions I'm out.
As a competionist it'd just bother me not to have everything.
I'd be totally down for £9.99 a month subscription to have Leif remove my weeds.
@mesome713 sure but most likely you will end up paying exactly that anyway or even more with DLCs in future.
With the original price on the other hand at least you know how much it will cost you to get something complete.
That's not an option. That's dirty marketing business .
You get the basic game = most likely you will get DLCs too.
They are not being transparent about the final price (with all DLCs) because they want to milk you, simple as that.
Well that’s made my mind up.
Way too many bad decisions swirling around this. No buy for me.
If this game will have microtransactions I'm not even gonna buy this game, regardless of how much I want it. I absolutely despise microtransactions and do not wish to support such a practice. So I really, really hope this just points to upcoming DLC and nothing else.
Wasn’t the an hypothesis for the whole save thing about the fact that they want to avoid cheat/ time manipulation to speed up progression? What if it’s more that they want to sell you those option? Animal crossing never struck me as a competitive game, so this whole avoid cheat thing was weird but now it could make a lot of sense....
this is nothing more than NintendoLife hitting their quota of articles and clicks. We all need to just calm down and wait for a few weeks. Those saying it’s reducing their hype must change moods with the wind blowing. At this point I or Nintendo life could release an article saying Breath of the wild 2 will be a card based RPG and people would believe it.
Wow Nintendo going dlc mad this generation, zelda, fire emblem, xenoblade, captain toad, splatoon, pokemon and now animal crossing.
Yikes. I'm going to wait to see what this means, but on top of the Amiibo card locked content, I already don't like how Nintendo has handled this kind of content in Animal Crossing in the past.
I thought there was going to be cloud saves if your system bricked, and if it's good value DLC is fine.
Was there ever another possibility? The gaming industry is unrecognisable from when the 3DS game came out.
Anyone surprised by this is clueless
@mossimac I mean, this is happening. There is arguably no Nintendo game series that's a better fit for stuff like this.
You're right though people taking this as a negative are super weird
Pretty hypocritical of me, but even if it's at it's worst, i.e. buying furniture/cosmetics individually or buying bells. I still think I would spend money.
Animal Crossing gets that privilege.
Remember when someone from Nintendo said that DLC and microtransactions would kill Animal Crossing? I do.
Nintendo's greed is absolutely boundless this generation.
Can't we have complete games anymore?
This can mean anything and nothing. People panicked about Sword and Shield's "in-app purchases" and that was for the Nintendo Online Subscription service, and eventually DLC. Nintendo was hyping up online play for AC, so the former makes sense, and as long as potential DLC isn't for a separate island (essentially buying another town, which really should be included in the base game) that should be fine.
I still worry about the investors taking priority for Nintendo, most companies are living with their heads shoved against a profit ceiling because of this. Hopefully someone in charge gets the sense that infinite growth is delusional, and dangerous to a business in the long run.
Just as long as the game let's you have he option to buy any materials, bugs, fish, furniture, etc without actually having to go to all the trouble of getting those things but actually playing the game it should be fine right? I mean come on, you could fill up your museum day 1 just by opening your wallet, none of the stress of walking around with a few days left in the month hoping that rare bug spawns because you know if you don't catch it soon it won't be back for a few months.
Also as others have pointed out, at this point a lot of you are probably overreacting. Unless it is officially announced I am going to assume any transactions will be on par with what we have already been getting with Nintendo console games. I'm not worried.
Doesn't every game with online multiplayer have this because of the option to buy an online subscription?
This clearly relates to DLC coming in the future. Paid DLC is entirely optional and shouldn’t affect your hype for Animal Crossing in any way. Nothing to see here people, move along!
Super Mario Maker 2 is evidence that this isn't to do with buying a NSO subscription:
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-mario-maker-2-switch/
"Mild Cartoon Violence, Users Interact"
No "In-Game Purchases" mention despite NSO being needed for pretty much the entirety of Course World (playing courses made by the community, uploading courses, multiplayer, etc.). So this means "In-Game Purchases" is referring to either paid DLC or microtransactions.
My guess is during an Animal Crossing Direct pre-launch, Nintendo announces an expansion pass.
if they add a season pass to animal crossing I'm out.
just nope 😡
@Yosher me and you both. 😔😔
I think we just need a Direct to clear all of this confusion up.
I don't think it means much, like buying a Switch Online sub. Nothing we can do about it but wait and see.
I’ll have to wait and see what ends up happening with this game- between DLC and cloud saves I see myself postponing this purchase until I know more.
While the "Welcome amiibo" update was free most of the good stuff was locked behind buying amiibo figures and cards. It made me quit the game for a couple years out of frustration.
I'd much rather pay a flat $25 - $30 fee for DLC than be nickel-and-dimed like that again.
HOW MANY FULL PRICED NINTENDO GAMES ON SWITCH HAVE MICRO TRANSACTIONS?!
0.
In-game purchases are just for either DLC or the "Buy Switch online"-prompt.
Also there is no icon in the PEGI rating for the game unlike other Switch games that offer DLC.
@Grumblevolcano The reason it isn't on Super Mario Maker 2 is there is no way of buying Switch Online in-game. Sword and Shield had it on there before the expansion passes were announced, and you could buy Switch Online in-game. So this is 100%, for certain, the ability to buy Switch Online in-game.
I have faith Ninty won't put anything too vital behind paid dlc - if there is some I believe I'll be able to live without it spoiling my game too much.
Still not pre-ordering until cloud save sorted though.
Everyone needs to take a breath.
I preferred the good old days when City Folk's (Let's Go to the City) DLC was meeting people online who owned Action Replay and had all the cool stuff and they would just give it away. I was an Animal Crossing millionaire.
These comments are hysterical.
I would never even consider cancelling a pre-order over something so little.
The overall game is going to be fine, I'm sure of it.
would be a good thing cause the devs deserve more ways to get support
I find post-launch DLC as a great thing, especially if it makes you keep on coming back for new experiences.
@tgchan That's what reviewers are for to tell you if the game feels finished or not. And it's for you to decide. Nintendo has never burned me, and if they ever do, I'll watchout. Until then, preorder!
I'm not preordering like I was going to now. People say look at Pokemon. Pokemon is trying to sell me the mons I can no longer capture or transfer because greed and that doesn't make me feel better about this.
I'll wait until release to see if it's worthwhile.
I've been saving a voucher for this game, and I'm gonna keep saving it until I hear some initial impressions I guess.
@Kiyata nintendo had nothing to do with sword and shield flaws that was gamefreak themselves but besides the new expansions coming has turned things around.
@RiasGremory my point is that DLC/IGP, and “expansions” scream of “incomplete game” to me. As much as games cost, they should be full, complete games with no additional content needed. But in a disgusting cash grab attempt by Nintendo and the other game developers, this is not how games are presented to us anymore. And it would stop if it weren’t for the fact that naive gamers fall for it and fling even more money at these sick companies who care more about the profit than the gamer.
@Kiyata didnt you read my comment nintendo had nothing to do with with sword and shield having less content before the expansions were announced that blame goes to gamefreak themselves and besides we dont know how animal crossing dlc will play out/
Saw the title, and came to the comments expecting a bunch of comments blowing a non-issue with little to no information way out of proportion... Was not dissapointed.
Some might cost a little
Some might cost a lot
But I'm the Million Dollar Nook
AND YOU WILL BE BROUGHT, MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!
@Kiyata And if you go on the actual ESRB website and look up Sword/Shield, you’ll see that it mentions in-game purchases, too - this has nothing to do with the Nintendo website. And why did you immediately jump to the conclusion that in-game purchases mean micro-transactions? Have you ever seen a mainline Nintendo game with micro-transactions? Cause I sure haven’t!
And as for the file size thing...you’re joking, right? Pokemon was made by GameFreak, who are notoriously rubbish at file compression. Super Mario Odyssey’s file size is 5.7GB, which is 0.5 GB smaller than AC - does that feel like an incomplete game to you? Of what we’ve seen so far (save backup shenanigans aside), what has made you think that this is an incomplete, mobile-akin cash grab?
@popey1980 it seems like there’s a competition going on between the AC, Pokemon and Smash fans at the moment to see who can cry the most. In the meantime people who treat games as light entertainment are looking on going “huh?” 🤔
Why moan when nothing has even been said on the matter. ESRP etc. Require this for online memberships ya know.
@ShadJV you could buy the DLC within the game. I'm pretty sure any game that let's you access the eShop while playing legally has to have this disclaimer. Like others have said, it's probably just a way to subscribe to Switch Online from inside the game.
I guess I'll be going for Survivalists for my island life adventure.
I'll stick to New Leaf then. The mobile game is rubbish, I hope that they are aware of that.
On second thoughts, this is clearly click bait because nothing has been explained yet.
It's not there now, it could have simply be a human error, I doubt they know if there's DLC for the game so soon before it releases. Only the developers will know if it's in the works.
@Lukaz2009 I think they always knew of (the possibility of) expansion passes for Pokémon before announcing it....
But I agree let's not panic.. we'll see
I hope they don't ruin it.
If this is a full on "surprise mechanics" then the Switch will genuinely be my last Nintendo product i purchase.
@Jooles_95 🙄
All my excitement for this game is gone. No cloud saves is bad enough but being completely tied to one console and not even being able to transfer data and now MICROTRANSACTION... I'll pass. This game is dead for me.
@Kiyata Congrats on the mature response, mate. Silly me - I can't believe I prefer to be rational and play a game myself before passing judgement rather than basing my opinion on criteria that actually matter, like file size compared to a poorly optimised game and the possibility of DLC. insert eye roll here
In all seriousness, though, you could really be missing out on a good game by skipping it just because it may or may not receive DLC later down the line! Zelda BotW, Mario Rabbids and FE Three Houses all received expansions several months after launch, and yet they are amazing games straight out of the box; the additional content is fun, but is not necessary in any way, shape or form for the game to feel complete. So far, I feel that Nintendo's DLC practices have been fair (Sword/Shield is a bit more of a mixed bag, but I blame GameFreak for that rather than Nintendo themselves), so I'm going to wait and see for myself whether they really are releasing an incomplete Animal Crossing game only to put the cut content behind a paywall rather than let the possibility sour the experience before it even starts. Until then, I'll look forward to playing the next game in my favourite series of all time.
I hope they announce soon what it is so I can quickly decide on getting the game or passing on it. I'm OK with quitting the franchise.
Animal Crossing is a big game with many moving parts. You can easily sink hundreds of hours into it. I think the idea of a DLC or an expansion down the line to liven up your Island getaway experience would be really great.
This is a game that would suit incredibly well with optional extra content over time to expand it's lifetime. I'm very interested to see what it might end up being. The very nature of the new AC premise is exciting and sounds like a breath of fresh air for the series.
No point flipping tables and disavowing the game based on silly assumptions minus any real details yet.
Considering they reported in January that their mobile games brought in 1 billion in revenue I'm sure there are a few on the board of directors arguing for microtransactions in their console games. I hope Nintendo knows better then this. I bet Tom Nook has a hand in this.
Never really been my jam, but this entry had me curious to explore the peaceful gameplay loop(s) and atmosphere of Animal Crossing.
Had.
Well, I guess I’m glad I wasn’t a hardcore fan... must be rough for you guys.
EDIT: You know... this DLC/microtransactions thing is probably overblown or even totally wrong. So along with the cloud save situation, I'm just gonna wait and see.
Gotta pay to keep that nookphone in service. I knew a free phone was too good to be true.
@ReaperExTenebris
Luigi's Mansion 3: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/luigis-mansion-3-switch/
Super Smash Bros Ultimate: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-smash-bros-switch/
pretty sure i'm missing more. but those two has "in game purchases" like Animal Crossing: New Horizon does.
Hey @Liam_Doolan Nintendo has removed "in-game purchases" from https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/animal-crossing-new-horizons-switch/ it just has Comic Mischief listed now
@CodyMKW Thanks, I'll update this right away!
@gloom I'll pay for the game and that's all.
@KoopaTrooper
Nintendo made 9 billion dollars the Switch in the 2018 financial year alone alone
Those mobile numbers are from 3 years+.
Nintendo's mobile division is not making some unheard amount of money.
@AnnieK yah, micro transactions kill it for me everytime. I agree.
It's funny reading through the comments now. 😂
@Quarth its best to overreact then wait for full details
I don't understand why the article would state "That's a relief", Nintendo tend to be very generous with it's DLC, and a game like this would benefit some added options after a while, plus as not everybody can pour tonnes of time into a game it may make certain items easier to get.
@alpacatears,
Exactly, it can become a little boring down the line doing the same old things from day to day, it becomes a chore to keep doing certain things, a whole new island that could open up would mix things up a little.
That's nice and all but I'm still not buying it until cloud saves are added.
I'm still pretty sure this game will get an Expansion Pass down the line, even with the removal of that "in-game purchases" tag.
@westman98 Either that or the sneaky method of "enable the in-game shop a month from release", like Crash Team Racing, so the reviewers will not mention it.
@Quarth I’m not saying people on here overreact and jump the gun, but... 😂
Maybe sometimes it’s best just to wait for official announcements?
There is unquestionably going to be some sort of in game purchase. It's one of Nintendo's biggest selling franchises and arguably their most suited to additional content. they'd be idiots not to
I'm all in for a DLC ticket pass (maybe 30usd or so, down the line) for this game if it includes monthly minor updates that include furniture and clothing and eventually a chunky expansion (new area, animals, tools). That would mean the team behind it is keeping up the development AFTER the game is released, not like EA day1 DLC that is already there and just unlock after payment.
I want to play this game at least 45 minutes a day until switch lifetime is over
Some more things like Minigames ala New Leaf or extra islands with new content would've been nice for a 'ticket pass' so to speak. Ah well, what can you do?
@WiltonRoots @liljmoore Oh, it's the Internet after all.
So no DLC? Way to go everyone!
@Likethepear So no DLC? Way to go everyone!
You're welcome!
they updated again to readd "Users Interact" to the rating
You mean a temporary relief. This does not stop them from adding it in later and a few months later finally getting the rating changed while illegally advertising and selling a game with micro-transactions. This has happened in hundreds of AAA titles in recent years. In the past I would have put it past Nintendo, but recently they started gouging us with $20 DLC for BoTW that is barely worth $5, a $20 online service with no real redeeming value yet (garbage compared to what Sony/Microsoft give), their entire mobile phone game market being toxic with microtransactions in game like Fire Emblem Heroes randomly giving you heroes and even spending $10K guarantees nothing, and other scummy things.
@Liam_Doolan welp might as well update again they added "In-Game Purchases" back https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/animal-crossing-new-horizons-switch/
It's also on http://www.animal-crossing.com/new-horizons/ now
Other games i played on either Switch or PS4 have DLC contents, so not surprising if there is In Game Purchase feature.
Cant wait to see what in game purchases they have in store for us...it's gonna be an amazing yesr.
The Direct will reveal "Seasons Pass".
US$30 for your favourite season or just US$90 for all four seasons! Default seasonal/weather setting will be a barren wasteland in the base game.
Sounds funny, doesn't it? Ridiculously enough, idiots will defend the excision of content that was available as stock-standard in past games which is then sold as DLC after the fact. It wouldn't surprise me if Animal Crossing suffers a similar fate. I understand why people criticise Amiibo, but at least they (usually) grant access to content that is already in the game's code. DLC is locked to a single console, and sometimes a single NNID. At least I can share Amiibo content with friends/family. Can't do that with DLC. Can't preserve DLC either. At least software updates can be wirelessly transferred between Switch consoles without an internet connection (and long after the servers are terminated).
Remember when the GameCube installment of Animal Crossing gave you access to a whole heap of NES ROMs at no extra charge (as opposed to piecemeal on Wii/3DS/Wii U and via NSO on Switch)? Who knew that we once received bonus goodies in addition to a complete game. Nowadays, we can't even pick up a full-priced retail game with any sort of confidence that the base package is in any way complete.
I ordinarily wouldn't be this pessimistic, but since the revelation of DLC for Pokémon of all series, nothing is sacred at this point.
@mesome713 I feel like the ingame purchases will be next year and they will maybe show off that they are working on it this year
@Silly_G Regarding the completeness of the package, even physical copies are not sacred anymore, with patches and updates all around. And last I checked, if those servers go down, and you don't have a backup of those updates, you can't play the vanilla carts while your internet connection is on. Also related to Animal Crossing, is it just me or this game seems to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons like save data backup and in game purchases?
Maybe we should just wait for more info rather than judging off of Schrodinger's ESRB label.
@Silly_G
"Sounds funny, doesn't it? Ridiculously enough, idiots will defend the excision of content that was available as stock-standard in past games which is then sold as DLC after the fact."
I can already predict 3 expansion packs for The Sims 5:
Pets
University
Vacations
The first couple of times were somewhat understandable, but from the third game onwards these things should have been standard. One of the reasons I don't bother with the series anymore.
As a CTR fan, I'll say don't worry about it - what you should really be worried about is being eaten alive for saying anything remotely positive about the game.
@Silly_G Sure with all those Switch games the DLC is on the cartridge already! 🤔
And all the Nintendo DLC costs that kind of prices 🤔
Or maybe... Wait... THAT'S NOT TRUE AT ALL!
Nintendo has DLC for almost all major Switch releases (except the Mario games and ARMS) and for ALL of these games the DLC was released after the games release. And ALL of these DLC had to be downloaded separately. So yeah, your comment is just 100% incorrect.
And let's all just wait until after the Direct for more info.
People will declare Nintendo to be the devil for doing this, then turn around and buy 5 map packs for COD and spend 300 dollars in micro transactions on Fortnite.
I've seen how Nintendo has been handling DLC this gen with BotW, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Xenoblade 2 and Splatoon 2 and if ACNH DLC is like that, I have no problems with it.
If they have a shop where you can spend real money on in-game items, then I will be angry.
... And the feeling they've just ported the mobile version over is getting stronger.... this doesn't bode well. IMO the extra DLC is what ruined Ult. smash bros for me.
Regarding people readily/willingly accepting last-minute price additions/hikes; "A fool and their money are soon parted", became popular for a reason, Keep paying what they charge and they'll keep raising the price. I'll wager no one willing to buy DLC has a savings account for real-life emergencies.
@SyFyTy what? Ported the mobile version? Are you serious? What influencer are your getting your lies... I mean your "news" from?
@shaneoh : I loved The Sims 2, but EA's ridiculous greed killed the franchise for me. I noticed the downward trajectory particularly halfway through the lifespan of The Sims 2 (though the first sign came in the form of Holiday Party Pack, which served as a precursor to what would become "Stuff Packs"), and I put the brakes on buying any further expansions. I eventually bought the remaining expansions on sale, paying as little as $2 for the IKEA expansion.
Knowing how big a Sims fan I was, I had numerous friends/family asking me how The Sims 3 was, but I hadn't purchased it until a couple of years or so after it was on the market. I bought the base game, and I was so disgusted by the fact that I was greeted to a whole heap of greyed-out icons for items that could only be accessed via The Sims 3 Store that I only created my Sim, moved him in, and never touched the game again.
Since then, I have been content with playing The Sims 1, 2, and the Stories games, but I can't see myself dabbling in the franchise again, which is such a shame as it was so, so good, and I have so many fond memories. The early GBA and DS installments were really great as well.
I used to be quite prolific during the infancy of The Sims 2's machinima community as well, having made quite a few music videos, a short-lived series, and lent my voice to dozens of projects (of mixed quality ).
@SyFyTy : I agree completely. The two fighter passes, Piranha Plant, and Mii costumes already cost more than the base game. I can't even fathom the thought process of those who excuse paying such a ridiculous amount for such a minuscule amount of content relative to the base package. I may cave in eventually but I resisted the Wii U/3DS DLC and I won't feel like I'm missing out on anything major by skipping Ultimate's DLC as well. The only circumstance in which I could rationalise the expense is if I were to hold regular tournaments or something like that, but I don't care enough about the characters to cough up AU$90 or so dollars for 11 extra characters and a few costumes.
@Silly_G
I was about a quarter of the way through the expansions for the Sims 3 when I realised how stupid things had gotten. Good thing too. I pirated everything a few years back, all the extra content from the store slows it down an excrement load, later expansions break things from earlier expansions and remains unpatched to this day, it's all just poorly optimised and bloated.
I've still 3 installed, but every time I play it I see how much of a mess it is and just give up.
@shaneoh : The Sims 2 and the Stories installments are also quite broken, hence why I periodically back-up my save data as you never know when a character will suddenly act up and potentially render your whole game crook.
It's just such a shame that a franchise with such boundless potential has been reduced to whatever the hell it is that EA have done to it over the years.
@San_D : You can transfer update data wirelessly to other consoles (without an internet connection), which is the only way to back up update data without modding the console. While I would prefer updated cartridges with the final software updates on them, this is at least some consolation. You will of course need a second console to have as a back-up in case the other console carks it.
There is no way to back up DLC, however.
@Silly_G I can’t (well maybe) and won’t defend the DLC of Smash Ultimate but I can explain why I bought it.
Imagine that this game is your one of you favorite games of all time. You already played over 500 hours, seen so much and still play it. Then you hear the great news that your favorite character from another game will be in Smash?!?! Even it is paid then I would pay for it and I did it. There are worse things (games) I have spend my money on that I did not really liked afterwards.
Might as spend my money for games on things I already liked and probably still like for many years.
It is just a matter of how much you care.
@westman98 that’s too sensible. How about everyone goes into complete meltdown now, 1 day before Nintendo tells everyone all about the game due to a lack of patience. Doesn’t take much to get veins a popping round here.... 😃
@BrintaPap : You don't need to explain yourself. I totally understand. I haven't put in quite as many hours as you have, but I could also rationalise paying for the DLC for the same reasons as you, but I also do not wish to indulge the practice (as it conflicts with the preservationist in me).
Now, if cartridges included a small amount of writable space in order to permanently house any downloadable content, I would feel much, much better about the practice, but in its current state, it's a poor value proposition, as I have no means of preserving the data for the future (at least without modding the console, which I have no intention of doing).
I have no shortage of games to play, so I'm not going to worry about missing out on DLC here and there. I'm more bothered by the fact that it has become so common nowadays that even Nintendo are scarcely releasing major games without paid DLC.
Like I have already said, I probably will purchase all of the DLC at some stage, but I am in no hurry to do so, and I don't feel that I will be missing much by resisting it considering how negligible the content is. I could however, be swayed if Jimmy T and/or a DOOM monster were to be added to the second fighter pass.
@Silly_G
They milked it, and milked it, and milked it. If it were a person a forensic examiner could be forgiven for thinking they had been attacked by a vampire. I'm a bit surprised that there doesn't seem to be any similar life simluators out there, I know they're a lot of work to make, but still there's a lot of money to be made.
@shaneoh : Hence why I am content with just the first two games and their respect expansions, and I can't see that changing any time soon. I was even tempted to grab YouTubers Life OMG Edition (or whatever it's called) not for the subject matter (as the concept is ridiculous to me) but for its life simulation elements.
The original Sims still holds up really well for those occasions where I want to play as a couple with a few cats.
@Silly_G I fully agree with you about the writeable memory. I have almost all my Switch games physical... and I think all of them had to be updated except New Super Mario bros Deluxe...
I’ll just accept the game state in the future and hope that they are playable.
Physical on Switch seemed like a good idea to me but honestly with the amount of stupid game updates I hope that carts printed late in the future they have patches on them.
Like a damned fly landing on the cake again
@BrintaPap : I can't vouch for third parties, but when Nintendo reprints cartridges, I have read, anecdotally, that they usually contain the software updates already on them (though any future updates still take up as much space as if you only had the version 1.0 cartridge inserted).
When I bought Ring Fit Adventure recently, an updated version was already on the cartridge (it was one update behind the current one), which was the first time I picked up a first-party cartridge that wasn't version 1.0.
Just wait for the direct fellas, all this will it or won't it is getting boring.
My guess is that it's simply DLC or an Expansion Pass, perhaps centered around "bonus areas" such as Kapp'n's transport to another island or even the "mainland". And of course there is pretty much an endless variety of things Nintendo could do with this, ranging from players being able to have a "regular" house with all the classic AC items and locations (Tom Nook's, Museum, etc.) to extra animal neighbors, outfits, furniture/themes, fish, fossils, bugs, maybe even cameos by various Nintendo or other videogame characters (think Link from Link's Awakening or even Mable and Sable's "cousin", Sonic). Yeah, that last one's probably a BIG stretch, but then again Nintendo has pulled off some unprecedented surprises with SSBU, so who knows?
As much as I don’t like the idea of micro transactions, that wouldn’t really be a new thing for Nintendo, so I don’t see what everyone is freaking out over. Amiibo are essentially Nintendo’s version of microtransactions, and they are phasing those out. Smash ultimate has a whole micro store and I’ve never heard a complaint.
My prediction: there is a character with a time machine. If you pay him real money, he’ll let you cheat
I'm just over the DLC/microtransactions thing across the board. Too much crap to keep up with, never feeling like games are fully complete when I buy them- I get WHY they do it I guess, but I can't pretend I don;t miss when you went and bought a game and it was fully cooked.
@Silly_G I believe if you use a micro SD card, that can be backed up, so the updates and DLC can be backed up. But my point was, storages fail and in that situation, the physical copy is not sufficient. I do understand Nintendo's concern about piracy and hence their decision to make the carts read only, but there is no solution eventually (when the store shuts like Wii), unless they make the Switch eShop like Steam.
@sikthvash What about a subscription to water your flowers as well?
@Alundra-1998 Hehe, YESH! Probably more important too!
I almost bought this game but after realizing this MIGHT have micro transactions... yeah after this mess I'm never pre ordering games unless I know about every single thing that will be included in said games
I just have to say that while I appreciate the pushback against microtransactions I don't understand those who say DLC is fine but microtransactions are not. It's all bad in a full priced game.
Perhaps in game “purchases Arcade (NES/SNES/GB/GBA and other) Games”? It could be a return of Animal Crossing Virtual Console??
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