Nintendo’s Animal Crossing mobile game arrives next month

The long-awaited smartphone debut of the Animal Crossing series will finally arrive some time in late November.

Nintendo confirmed the release window in last night’s Nintendo Direct. Also confirmed was its name – Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

Visually the game will be very similar to anyone who has ever played previous entries in the series. The main difference is the camping theme, although many of the included activities and mechanics are borrowed from previous games.

Players will be able to customise their RV and the campground area in which they live, and visit shops run by series’ mainstays. Upgrading your RV will be done via trips to OK Motors, which of course will allow you to run up huge levels of debt. This is Animal Crossing after all!

Other new additions include crafting, with materials granted by completing quests. Players will be able to craft things like a merry-go-round and half-pipe. There will also be friendship levels for the other animals, which can be increased by performing errands or handing over gifts.

Of course, underpinning it all is a virtual currency (Leaf Tickets) which can either be earned in-game or purchased for money. Quotes the release: “Leaf Tickets can be earned through regular gameplay or purchased using real-world money, and can be used in a variety of ways in the game. For example, they can be used to shorten the time needed to craft items, more easily acquire materials or acquire unique camper exterior designs.”

Multiplayer activities will require the sharing of game IDs.

“As our past mobile games have proved, we love taking established and well-loved franchises and transforming them for the ways players use their devices,” NoA’s senior VP of sales and marketing Doug Bowser said.

“Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is great for newcomers to the series as well as longtime fans, and ideal for people playing on a mobile device.”

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be released for free on iOS and Android at the end of November.