Animal Crossing: New Horizons Writer Is Also Tired of That Sea Bass Joke

One of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' localization writers explained the origins of the game's infamous sea bass joke. Whenever a player catches a bug or fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, their character makes a small joke or pun about the creature they just captured. One of the game's more infamous jokes is about the sea bass, which the player states is "at least a C+." Because the sea bass is one of the more common fish in the game, most Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have read that joke dozens if not hundreds of times.

Over the weekend, Nintendo localization producer Rob Heiret revealed that he had written the sea bass joke for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While he admitted that he was tired of the joke too, Heiret revealed some of the thought process that went into the writing of this seemingly mundane joke. According to Heiret, the localization team originally called the sea bass a "C- bass" to acknowledge that players would likely be disappointed by catching the fish. However, the team realized that players would see the same joke over and over again and that a more positive spin might be more appropriate.

If you've played the game, you're tired of the sea bass joke. I get it. *I'M* tired of the sea bass joke, and I wrote it. But here's a secret about the sea bass joke:

It was originally "I caught a sea bass! Well...maybe a C- bass...)

— Rob Heiret (@Rheiret) May 10, 2020

And when we were workshopping the fish jokes, someone pointed out that, as a joke people were going to see many, many times, generally along with disappointment they didn't catch something better, maybe it would be better to spin it positive. Make it a C+ instead.

— Rob Heiret (@Rheiret) May 10, 2020

In the same Twitter thread, Heiret notes that the team joked that they were crafting memes for the next 5-10 years, and that the game's general message of positivity was well-timed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, Heiret noted that the dev and localization teams did their best to make the game as comforting, positive and funny as they could.

Are you surprised by the thought that went into a seemingly throwaway gag? Let us know in the comment section!