Your Island Getaway Starts Now! Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is Now Available

Travel to a Virtual Paradise and Kick Back With Your Nintendo Switch System

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Picture it: You just landed on your own deserted island paradise. You instantly find your inner peace as you hear the soothing sound of ocean waves. You set up your new tent and, before calling it a night, decide to wander around the island to take it all in. Before long, you will be meeting animal residents, crafting items and indulging in a variety of activities, like catching bugs and sharing your virtual life with friends and family. Your island life is just beginning and there is so, so much more to experience…

In the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, which is now available for the Nintendo Switch family of systems, you’ll get to travel to a deserted island and create your own paradise as you explore, create and customize your island life. Before you take off for your island, you can design your character and then choose where to set up your tent once you arrive – which you can eventually choose to upgrade to your very own home! You can even customize the actual island itself by putting items like furniture and flowers around the island and, after some time, can even adjust the island’s terrain! As your island develops, new facilities and residents may join your community.

“In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can transport yourself to a virtual island paradise,” said Nick Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “With relaxing gameplay you can enjoy by yourself or with friends and family, the game is a breath of fresh island air.”

Starting today, free updates will be added to the game throughout the year, delivering fresh seasonal content for you to enjoy. The first update adds “Bunny Day” in April, as well as the ability to use online features, which requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Follow the Animal Crossing Twitter account for the latest news and updates about the game.

Nintendo Switch Online members can now also use NookLink, which is part of the Nintendo Switch Online app, to scan a Custom Design QR Code pattern from previous games Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer with a real-life smartphone and then download them to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. When connected online, it’s possible to talk with friends who also have Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app, using the smartphone as a keyboard or for voice chat.

Additionally, those that link their Nintendo Account to their Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp mobile game will be able to order special items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and get 50 Leaf Tickets in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. For more details, visit https://ac-pocketcamp.com/en-US/site/horizons.

Whether playing online* or with others locally**, island living is even better when you can share it. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can share an island with others, show off your island utopia to family and friends or pack your bags and visit theirs.*** Even without hopping on a flight, you’ll meet a cast of charming animal residents bursting with personality. Friendly faces like Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy will lend their services and happily help you grow your budding community, from opening up certain shops, to upgrading your home and decorating it with furniture and accessories – some you can even design and personalize!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now available in stores, in Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch system or at Nintendo.com at a suggested retail price of $59.99. The game is compatible with both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. In addition to the game, themed carrying cases visually inspired by Animal Crossing are available for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite systems at a suggested retail price of $24.99 each.

For more information about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, visit https://www.animal-crossing.com/new-horizons/.

Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/.

*Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and Nintendo Account required for online features. Persistent Internet and compatible smartphone required to use app. Data charges may apply. Nintendo Account age 13+ required. Smartphone app features available in compatible games. Not available in all countries. Internet access required for online features. Terms apply. https://nintendo.com/switch-online

**Additional games, systems and/or accessories may be required for multiplayer mode. Games, systems and some accessories sold separately.

***Please note: Only one island can exist per Nintendo Switch system, irrespective of the number of users registered to or games used on one system. One Nintendo Switch and one game is required for each unique island. Up to eight players can live on the same island within one game. With one Nintendo Switch system and one game, up to four players can play on the same island at the same time. With additional systems and games, up to eight Nintendo Account holders can play on the same island at the same time via local wireless or online play.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch^™ system and the Nintendo 3DS^™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System^™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.7 billion video games and more than 750 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy^™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS^™ family of systems, Super NES^™, Nintendo 64^™, Nintendo GameCube^™, Wii^™ and Wii U^™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/.

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