Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Animal Crossing is a series of social simulation video games in which players customize their avatars' living spaces and communities by trading materials and favors for decorative items.[2][3] In Pocket Camp, the player decorates a campsite in lieu of a town, and gathers materials such as wood and cotton from the surrounding area to trade for furniture orders.[2] The player-character befriends neighboring animal characters, who can visit the player's campsite, as can other human players both invited and at random.[2] The player's avatar can travel to multiple locations, such as Sunburst Island or Saltwater Shores, and a marketplace that sells furniture and avatar clothing. The player's customization options extend to their avatar's gender, facial traits, and recreational vehicle abode.[2]

Neighbors in nearby "recreation sites" reward the player with crafting materials for completing requests. A local craftsman, the alpaca Cyrus, turns these resources into furniture, pools, and new locations. The player can attract specific neighbors by placing their favorite furniture at the campsite. Each visit increases that relationship's experience level, in a new game mechanic for the series. Akin to previous games, the player can fish and pay off a debt on their home.[3]

In lieu of the villager interaction seen in previous titles, Pocket Camp takes a complex look at the villager relationship system. Each villager has a specific relationship level that is increased by performing tasks and chatting with them each day. The player is then rewarded with furniture and clothing representative of the villager's aesthetic.

The mobile game features optional microtransactions that can be purchased to improve gameplay. Compared to the main series games, a new currency, Leaf Tickets, are obtainable within the game or through microtransactions, which the player can use to reduce in-game timers or to craft without raw materials.[2][3] The player accrues Leaf Tickets by completing in-game tasks or buying the currency outright through the real-world app store. The player can also trade Leaf Tickets for special event furniture, which attracts specific characters to the player's campsite.[4] The game's developer plans to introduce seasonal events and furniture with limited availability.[2] In addition to Leaf Tickets, the game features purchasable fortune cookies that reward randomized items depending on type of fortune cookie.[5]

There are several events in the game that are repeated with similar game-play elements and different rewards. These include but are not limited to:

• Fishing tournaments
• Garden events
• Scavenger hunts

These events generally last about a month and features a microtransaction element to speed up the rewards for the event. They tend to stay simple and do not stray too far from what is required to efficiently participate in each event.

Nintendo planned a mobile game in its Animal Crossing series among the company's first smartphone releases, as announced in early 2016.[6] The Animal Crossing series was selected for its wide demographic reach.[7] The mobile game was originally scheduled for release later that year but was later delayed,[8] as Nintendo prioritized its release of Super Mario Run.[9] Over the next year, Nintendo experimented with microtransactions in the mobile Fire Emblem Heroes.[10] On October 25, 2017, Nintendo revealed Pocket Camp during a Nintendo Direct presentation as its fourth mobile app.[6][10] It was released in Australia the same day for iOS and Android platforms,[11] and was released worldwide in 41 other countries on November 21, 2017.[4][12] An update in December 2017 brought limited edition Christmas-themed items, such as Santa Claus outfits and Christmas trees.[13]

Nintendo's concerns over the loot box gameplay present in Pocket Camp led to the decision to revoke access to downloading or playing the game for Belgium users, starting from August 27, 2019.[5][14]

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregate Metacritic.[15] Praise was given by Polygon for the game's approach to introduce mobile players to the gameplay of the main series games, although the results were somewhat mixed over the time-dependent gameplay.[18] Polygon described the tutorial to be too overly extensive, but welcomed the concept of organizing and completing various activities according to real-time.[18]

By September 2018, the game had grossed $50 million .[19] As of April 2020, the game has grossed over $150 million worldwide.[20]

• Official website