This Animal Crossing X Pokemon Crossover Needs to Happen

Next month, Nintendo Switch owners will have two major releases to check out from Nintendo: [...]

By Marc Deschamps

Next month, Nintendo Switch owners will have two major releases to check out from Nintendo: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Of course, not everyone can afford two $60 games within a few short weeks of one another, so most Switch owners will likely have to make a decision between the two games. It's a shame the two franchises couldn't be mixed together, but that's exactly what Twitter user @Vanduobones did with four of the most iconic Pokemon! Her "Pokemon Crossing" designs even pay homage to each of the Pokemon's classic TCG cards, as well!

While Nintendo has yet to feature any sort of crossover between Pokemon and Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing: New Leaf did feature villagers based on two other Nintendo franchises! As part of the game's Welcome Amiibo DLC, players could scan Amiibo figures from Splatoon and Zelda and meet villagers with designs meant to evoke those two Nintendo franchises. Of course, the Animal Crossing franchise has also featured a plethora of other Nintendo references, including furniture items, clothing options, and even playable NES games!

Oddly enough, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Animal Crossing do have one commonality between them: the Animal Crossing franchise was meant to have dungeon crawling as part of the gameplay, at one point. Obviously, Nintendo ended up axing the feature, focusing instead on the relaxing gameplay the series is now well-known for. Still, it's interesting to think just how much the two franchises nearly had in common!

Sadly, this sort of thing just might be a pipe dream. Unlike Zelda and Splatoon, Nintendo actually only owns part of the Pokemon franchise, which is likely the reason these crossovers tend to be less common.

It's always impressive to see what kind of art the video game fan community creates based on their favorite titles. Designs like the ones created by @Vanduobones really show how clever gamers can be, and they truly are a welcome part of the overall fandom. Who knows? Perhaps these images will inspire Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to make a more official crossover. Stranger things have happened!

Would you like to see Animal Crossing villagers inspired by Pokemon? Which of these two Switch games are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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