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Nintendo Sets 'Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp' Release Date for November 22

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Nintendo on Twitter today confirmed that the company's upcoming iOS game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, will launch worldwide on November 22. The confirmation of a release date comes nearly one month after the game was first unveiled in late October, after which it soft launched on the Australian iOS App Store and climbed to the top of the charts there faster than either Super Mario Run or Fire Emblem Heroes.

When it launches later this week, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be a miniaturized version of the main games in the series, allowing players to visit and manage a campsite in lieu of a full village. At the camp, players can decorate the location with furniture to attract certain animal characters, as well as go fishing, hunt for bugs, shop, and more to complete quests and craft items to further deck out the camp.

animal crossing release date

Just like the other games in the series, time passes in real time so when you open the app the game will reflect the time of day in the real world, subsequently affecting certain bug and fish spawns and allowing for upcoming seasonal events. There's also a social aspect that allows players to visit the camps of their friends to get inspired by their designs, and sell or exchange items with them.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be free-to-play, and uses optional "Leaf Tickets" so players can bypass long wait times when they build structures, purchase the materials needed to craft furniture, and more. If you're interested in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, visit our sister site Touch Arcade to read some first impressions on the game ahead of its release on November 22.

Top Rated Comments

the8thark Avatar
117 months ago

Nintendo on Twitter today confirmed ('https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/932443394139410432') that the company's upcoming iOS game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, will launch worldwide on November 22.
Nintendo of America said this and it's an outright lie. I am calling NoA out on the lie and @MacRumors out for repeating the lie. This has already released in Australia. I downloaded it from iTunes as I am an Australian citizen. It released here about 3 weeks ago.

MacRumors content image

I have played this quite a bit and here is my opinion on this game.

Happy Home Designer: Hobo Edition

That's what this game is. I'll explain it in more detail.

The game is based around a few core components.

1. Timers. There's a timer for almost everything. Shake a tree for fruit and get a timer. Craft an item or something else and get a timer. etc etc (it might only be camp upgrades. You can bypass the timer with specific items. This is the free to play nature at work. Even AI resident requests (after you've given them a few things) are on a timer which can be bypassed with leaf tickets.

2. Paid Currency - Bells are the free, easy to access currency. Leaf Tickets are the harder to get (without paying money) or easier to get (with paying money) currency. So far the game seems to be stingy on handing out the leaf tickets (for free players) but in time we shall see if this still holds true.

3. Larger catch items - You can make and use certain items to get more items. For example you can use huney to catch more bugs or fishing nets to catch more fish and crustaceans. These items like the honey and fishing nets are all one use. More ways the free to play model is expressed here.
Based on what I have read things like honey, fishing nets and similar are all bought with leaf tickets. Well apart from the few you get from achievement awards.

4. Inviting AI residents to your campsite - Doing this levels them up, along with doing minor quests for them. This game is more about getting the other residents to like your camp site than it is beautifying your camp site just because you can. Each AI resident has criteria you need to do before they will visit your campsite.

5. Levels - You can level yourself up as well as levelling up the other residents by doing quests for them and having them like your camp site when they visit. levelling up the residents is basically getting them to like you more.
Also you can build/create more things when you level up more.

5. Daily quests and daily log in bonuses - To get you to play every day.

Technical opinions

The looks, sounds and plays just fine. It's nice for what it is on the mobile phone. All of the basic tasks like fishing, bug collecting, placing items in your camp site and other places is easy and just works.

Other minor things.

1. There is a couple of items you can only get with in 45 days from the time you start playing the game. They cost quite a lot of leaf tickets to get. I am unsure if you can get enough for both items without paying real money. If you don't get them within the first 45 days you miss out. They say they might be back later but I think that'a a maybe and not a certainty.

2. You can visit your friends camp sites. So we can show off our camp site to each other.

3. You can friend other players (not AI residents) easily in game. As well as there is a way to friend people you know (same way as in the other Nintendo mobile games)

4. Expanding your personal inventory space costs leaf tickets. ame deal with being able to have more than one item crafted at once. Costs leaf tickets.

5. It's RNG which shops are in the market place. They rotate over time.

6. Loans exist just like other Animal Crossing games.

7. One region of the map is locked unless you get 5 other players to help you or you pay some leaf tickets to enter.

8. There is no Mayor or Museum.

9. I think there is no calendar events. I don't see a calendar in game.

10. Crafting come items requires bells plus materials.

My overall feelings.
This game feels like Animal Crossing lite. It's nice to have but fans of the series will be left wanting. At best this is a stop gap measure till we get a decent new Animal Crossing game. This is nice for mobile but we shall see how much long term interest this has. It'll certainly need some content updates to still be used alot after 6 months or a year.

My overall score - 4/10
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
earthTOmitchel Avatar
117 months ago
Nintendo of America said this and it's an outright lie. I am calling NoA out on the lie and @MacRumors out for repeating the lie. This has already released in Australia. I downloaded it from iTunes as I am an Australian citizen. It released here about 3 weeks ago.

MacRumors content image

I have played this quite a bit and here is my opinion on this game.

Happy Home Designer: Hobo Edition

That's what this game is. I'll explain it in more detail.

The game is based around a few core components.

1. Timers. There's a timer for almost everything. Shake a tree for fruit and get a timer. Craft an item or something else and get a timer. etc etc (it might only be camp upgrades. You can bypass the timer with specific items. This is the free to play nature at work. Even AI resident requests (after you've given them a few things) are on a timer which can be bypassed with leaf tickets.

2. Paid Currency - Bells are the free, easy to access currency. Leaf Tickets are the harder to get (without paying money) or easier to get (with paying money) currency. So far the game seems to be stingy on handing out the leaf tickets (for free players) but in time we shall see if this still holds true.

3. Larger catch items - You can make and use certain items to get more items. For example you can use huney to catch more bugs or fishing nets to catch more fish and crustaceans. These items like the honey and fishing nets are all one use. More ways the free to play model is expressed here.
Based on what I have read things like honey, fishing nets and similar are all bought with leaf tickets. Well apart from the few you get from achievement awards.

4. Inviting AI residents to your campsite - Doing this levels them up, along with doing minor quests for them. This game is more about getting the other residents to like your camp site than it is beautifying your camp site just because you can. Each AI resident has criteria you need to do before they will visit your campsite.

5. Levels - You can level yourself up as well as levelling up the other residents by doing quests for them and having them like your camp site when they visit. levelling up the residents is basically getting them to like you more.
Also you can build/create more things when you level up more.

5. Daily quests and daily log in bonuses - To get you to play every day.

Technical opinions

The looks, sounds and plays just fine. It's nice for what it is on the mobile phone. All of the basic tasks like fishing, bug collecting, placing items in your camp site and other places is easy and just works.

Other minor things.

1. There is a couple of items you can only get with in 45 days from the time you start playing the game. They cost quite a lot of leaf tickets to get. I am unsure if you can get enough for both items without paying real money. If you don't get them within the first 45 days you miss out. They say they might be back later but I think that'a a maybe and not a certainty.

2. You can visit your friends camp sites. So we can show off our camp site to each other.

3. You can friend other players (not AI residents) easily in game. As well as there is a way to friend people you know (same way as in the other Nintendo mobile games)

4. Expanding your personal inventory space costs leaf tickets. ame deal with being able to have more than one item crafted at once. Costs leaf tickets.

5. It's RNG which shops are in the market place. They rotate over time.

6. Loans exist just like other Animal Crossing games.

7. One region of the map is locked unless you get 5 other players to help you or you pay some leaf tickets to enter.

8. There is no Mayor or Museum.

9. I think there is no calendar events. I don't see a calendar in game.

10. Crafting come items requires bells plus materials.

My overall feelings.
This game feels like Animal Crossing lite. It's nice to have but fans of the series will be left wanting. At best this is a stop gap measure till we get a decent new Animal Crossing game. This is nice for mobile but we shall see how much long term interest this has. It'll certainly need some content updates to still be used alot after 6 months or a year.

My overall score - 4/10
Australia's soft launch is mentioned in the next sentence you quote, and we previously published an article dedicated to its debut there ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/27/animal-crossing-tops-australian-store/') -- and how well it did -- back in October.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
117 months ago
WORLDWIDE bru not Australia which isnt the center of the world like by a long shot
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sketdansuu Avatar
117 months ago
can’t wait, hope its X optimized
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
117 months ago
If you don't want every mobile game to be like this, do not download this game. You contribute to loot boxes and pay to win culture which now hurts even console games. Play 3DS/2DS version which is much better.
I get your point, but this is Animal Crossing - it's gameplay essentially defined the F2P genre, but you pay for it up front on a console. You pick apples off a tree, wait till tomorrow to do it again. Buy something at the store, wait till tomorrow to get a new item in stock. Literally everything in the game is on timers/scheduled to make you come back to it, the difference is in the mobile version they show you the timers and let you pay to remove them. The question about this game is whether there is enough other "content" to play around with after doing your daily routine in the game.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
117 months ago
:D:D:D I am so excited about this!

Don’t judge!o_O;):D
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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