Nintendo promised that its first Nintendo Direct in over a year would feature some of its games available now in addition to those coming in the first half of 2021, so it makes sense then that Animal Crossing: New Horizons would make an appearance. The game that’s been getting larger seasonal updates and smaller content releases since its immensely successful launch was featured alongside similar successes like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to give players a preview of what’s coming next. In true Nintendo fashion, the game’s next big update will incorporate none other than Mario and company from the Super Mario series into the Animal Crossing game.
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The Animal Crossing: New Horizons update shown off during the Nintendo Direct had island residents and other characters dressed as Mario, Luigi, Peach, and more. Pipes, flags, and other core landmarks from the Super Mario games were also featured in the worlds players built.
The update is scheduled to drop on February 25th and will be considered part of the Super Mario games’ 35th anniversary events. On March 1st, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players will see more items from the Super Mario series available in the in-game store to purchase with Bells.
The most recent event that’s gone live in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a perfect example of the types of continued content the game’s been receiving periodically since its launch. The event in question is called “Festivale,” and it’s set up to be a Mardi Gras-type event in everything but the name. Nintendo has been keen on keeping Animal Crossing: New Horizons in-tune with whatever seasons are going on around it depending on what regions players are active in, and from the way it’s gotten updates in the past, there’s no reason to believe these sorts of release will be drying up anytime soon.
Considering how well Animal Crossing: New Horizons has performed since its launch, it should be no wonder that the game keeps on getting updates and gets featured in presentations like the Nintendo Direct from this week. Earlier in the month, it was reported by Nintendo that global sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons had topped 30 million in just under a year.
Aside from the expected Animal Crossing: New Horizons appearance during the Direct, expectations were high for the return of Nintendo’s presentation format. Considering how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was directly mentioned in the tweet about the event, people expected to see a new DLC character revealed. With the Direct scheduled to last around 50 minutes and a focus being put on new games as well as existing ones, some of the more reaching, but still probable theories looked to Nintendo’s powerhouses like The Legend of Zelda and Mario Kart in hopes of seeing something related to those games.
