Fake Animal Crossing Game Released on Xbox

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a massive hit on Nintendo Switch, and that success has [...]

By Marc Deschamps

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a massive hit on Nintendo Switch, and that success has inspired a blatant rip-off now available on Xbox! While some developers might be content to offer a game with a slightly altered title, HugoStudioLab went with the exact same name with its offering on the Microsoft Store. This version of "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is actually much closer to Crossy Road, complete with five different animals for players to choose from. As of this writing, the game is still available on the Microsoft Store where it can be acquired for $2.99. The listing can be found right here.

This faux Animal Crossing game was discovered and shared by Nintendeal on Twitter. The Tweet can be found embedded below.

It will be interesting to see how long the game remains available for sale! Nintendo is fiercely protective of its intellectual property, and the fake game isn't just using the same name; the listing on Microsoft's store has the same logo, and even a picture of Tom Nook! It seems like a safe bet that this listing somehow slipped under Microsoft's radar, and probably won't be long for this world, as a result.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Animal Crossing franchise, but no game in the series has managed to find the level of commercial success of New Horizons. The Switch game released last March, and it quickly provided gamers some much-needed escapism during the coronavirus pandemic. Fans have been sharing their creations all over social media since the game released, which has likely inspired more players to pick it up (and possibly purchase this fake game, too). Those unfamiliar with the series and its exclusivity to Nintendo consoles are a prime target for this kind of deception. Hopefully, very few people have been tricked!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available exclusively on Nintendo Switch, not on Xbox One or Windows 10. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Are you a fan of Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Are you surprised by this rip-off of the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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