Skip to main content

More free Animal Crossing New Horizons content is in development

In a tweet announcing yet another upcoming content update, Nintendo confirmed that it has even more content for Animal Crossing: New Horizons in development with the goal of launching later this year.

Over a year after release, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still going strong. The game continues to receive content updates that bring items and events to the game. Nintendo’s announcement confirms that the company plans to continue support through 2021.

Recommended Videos

While Nintendo didn’t say exactly what new content was in development, the company will give fans an update soon. “More information will be shared in the future,” wrote Nintendo on Twitter , “so please stay tuned.”

So far, Animal Crossing: New Horizon ‘s content updates have added dozens of new items to the game, including a warp pipe from the Mario franchise that lets players quickly move across their island. Other updates for the game have also added new events, including the much-loathed Bunny Day and new activities like swimming and diving.

In addition to these updates, more free content for #AnimalCrossing : New Horizons is currently in development for later this year. More information will be shared in the future, so please stay tuned. Thank you for your support and patience.

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 27, 2021

In fact, the announcement that more free content updates are coming for the game was tied to another announcement for a new seasonal event. Starting on July 29, players can download a free update for the game that adds fireworks shows. In a screenshot shared along with a tweet from Nintendo, Redd is shown in front of the town hall at a small stand, likely where players will be able to purchase their own fireworks and other items. These fireworks shows will also be weekly, so players will have to be in-game at the right time to celebrate with their villagers.

Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will have way more NPCs thanks to PS5 specs
Aloy standing in knee-deep water with her bow and arrow in front of some ruins.

We already learned a bit about the kinds of changes Guerrilla Games and Nixxes brought to Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, but beyond noting how much more dialogue and mo-cap was recorded, there weren't many specifics. A new PlayStation blog post has gone into more detail about the improvements, including how the teams worked to make the world feel more alive.

Nixxes senior technical game designer Brian van Nunen wrote in the post that one of those ways was to add more NPCs in villages, cities, and outposts, which they were able to do because of the PlayStation 5's more powerful specs. And not only will there be more of them but they'll have more varied schedules and will move around in a more realistic manner.

Read more
Lego Horizon Adventures arrives this November, and it’s bringing Sackboy
Aloy in Lego Horizon Adventures.

During PlayStation's September 2024 State of Play presentation, Sony announced that Lego Horizon Adventures will launch on November 14 for PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

Lego Horizon Adventure was first revealed at Summer Game Fest 2024. While there were no doubts that it would be released for PlayStation, the simultaneous PC launch was welcomed while the Switch version was a complete surprise. However, this move makes sense given this is a much lighthearted take on the series that revolves around dangerous robotic dinosaurs and the apocalypse.

Read more
I played the first two hours of Tales of the Shire, and I’m not won over yet
A hobbit in Tales of the Shire.

The farming and life sim genre is extraordinarily crowded as many developers try to chase the success of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Some are more successful than others. For example, August’s Fields of Mistria impressed in early access by sticking to the genre’s core conceit and creating a town full of villagers that you want to get to know better. Now, Weta Workshop is attempting to capitalize on this trend with a video game based on The Lord of the Rings.

In Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, players control a Hobbit who Gandalf brings to the Hobbiton town of Bywater. From there, it’s up to players to familiarize themselves with and cook for the townsfolks, farm and forage for food, and raise the standing of the village. After playing its opening two hours, I'm finding some creative ideas in Tales of the Shire, but a lot of work will need to be done if it's going to rise to the top of a crowded genre.
A mixed stew
If you’ve played a life sim game before, the basics of Tales of the Shire won’t be that shocking. I found its opening hours to be more similar to a game like Fae Farm rather than Stardew Valley or Fields of Mistria. Most of the time is spent on meeting the villagers of Bywater rather than getting into the farming routine. While players have control over customizing how they farm, Tales of the Shire seems more interested in having players explore Bywater and cook for its residents.

Read more