Rover Teased For Animal Crossing: New Horizons

A newly released trailer for Animal Crossing: New Horizons shows off a number of events and other new features coming to the game over the next few months. This includes two new special visitors, Leif and Jolly (formerly Crazy) Redd, who were confirmed, but there's actually a third returning character teased in the trailer: Rover, a friendly cat whose role in previous games was to help you name your character and town.

Rover can be seen briefly toward the end of the trailer during the May Day section. The May Day event, which is scheduled for May 1 through 7, has you visiting a special island separate from the regular Mystery Tour deserted islands you can visit with Nook Miles. Nintendo teases, "A special visitor who looks familiar might also be there...", and judging by the back of him, that visitor appears to be Rover. You can see a screenshot below.

In past Animal Crossing games, you would encounter Rover on the train at the very beginning of the game. There, he would ask you questions to determine your character's name and gender, the time and date, and your town name. In New Horizons, that role is partially taken over by Timmy and Tommy, and you name your island after you've arrived.

In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Rover does have a more event-oriented role. He hosts the Garden Safari event, which tasks you with planting seasonal flowers and catching special butterflies; as a reward, he gives you Rover-style furniture.

The first of the recently announced events, Nature Day, is scheduled to come in a free update on April 23 and will run through May 1. That update also introduces the confirmed new visitors, Leif and Jolly Redd, as well as an expansion to Blathers' museum.