New Animal Crossing Game Pocket Camp Coming November To Mobile

As promised, Nintendo's Animal Crossing-focused Direct presentation eschewed talk of any other console or game to focus completely on a new Animal Crossing game for mobile. Dubbed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the game will arrive sometime in late November. Nintendo followed up the presentation with some screenshots and a slew of press release information.

The game's design, sound, and overall gameplay will be familiar to anyone's who's played the full-fledged entires in the series, and there'll be an assortment of returning activities and mechanics. In addition to customizing your character and your living area (in this case, an RV camper), you'll also lay out furniture and themed items across the game's campground setting. There'll be a real-time day/night cycle, and you'll have the ability to visit shops run by the regular game cast to purchase new clothing and furniture to customize your personal space. And it wouldn't be an Animal Crossing game without the ability to go into deep debt. Instead of Tom Nook, however, Pocket Camp has OK Motors, where you can purchase major upgrades that expand your RV's interior and allow you to trick out your in-game camper.

But it's not all familiar; Pocket Camp introduces a few changes as well. Completing requests from visitors will provide you with crafting material. Instead of just buying new items, you can craft new furniture by bringing the materials to series-regular Cyrus, who'll take the raw materials and craft stylish new items.

Another change to the standard Animal Crossing flow are friendship levels for visiting animals. You can raise that level by bringing your friend items they like or fulfilling specific requests. From the press release, "If you level up your friendship or decorate your campsite with an animal's favorite items, she or he might pay you a visit." And it wouldn't be a mobile game without some kind of new currency. Pocket Camp introduces Leaf Tickets, which can be "earned through regular gameplay or purchased using real-world money." The items "can be used to shorten the time needed to craft items,more easily acquire materials or acquire unique camper exterior designs."

You can also play with visit other players' camps or trade items with real-life friends by sharing game IDs. "Random player avatars will also visit the campsite from time to time. Once someone visits, you can exchange your Bells for items saved in the Market Box."

The game will launch for free across both iOS and Android. And regular content updates will roll out afterward--which you can assume will include some kind Christmas/holiday content. The press release states: "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will eventually offer seasonal events to keep the experience fresh and surprising, as well as limited-time furniture and outfit options through game updates. These events and updates will begin rolling out after launch."