Is AC New Leaf Becoming Obsolete With The Release Of AC New Horizons?

[Mayor Ng]

I noticed that many players who still play AC New Leaf either had a sentimental attachment or could not afford to make the switch to AC New Horizons. Considering that Nintendo Switch is absurbly expensive compared to previous consoles, many people who want to get on the AC bandwagon during the worldwide quarantine opted for the cheaper and more affordable 3DS and 2DS consoles to play AC New Leaf.

In the future, will AC New Leaf get a refreshed boost of interests such as the Welcome Amiibo update or be an alternative substitute for AC New Horizons (considering the technological advancements between the two games)?

 

[DJStarstryker]

I seriously doubt New Leaf will get anything else. The Animal Crossing team is focused on New Horizons now. They wouldn't have time to work on New Leaf and it doesn't make financial sense for Nintendo to do so either.

Animal Crossing games tend to have active communities for way longer than some other online multiplayer games, so there will still be people playing New Leaf probably until Nintendo shuts down online for the 3DS.

 

[Lady Timpani]

I guess by absurdly expensive you’re referring to the current console shortage and scalper situation, right?

But no, I wouldn’t expect NL to see any more updates. I think Nintendo has pretty much moved on from any of the 3DS games at this point.

 

[Halloqueen]

Whether it's obsolete or not is up to the individual players. If and/or when it no longer fulfills what an individual is looking for from the game, only then will it become so. New Leaf won't be getting any more official support from Nintendo, so in that sense it could be considered as such, but as long as there are people out there still playing it and communities are around for it, it lives on. The two games offer somewhat different experiences, so I don't see its death as necessarily impending.

 

[Rosewater]

There will always be players of NL but the numbers will peter out more and more over the coming years. NL is definitely not going to get an update though. The 3DS hit its peak years ago.

 

[Clock]

I doubt some people will stop playing Acnl after Acnh came out, I still play acnl once or more a week to make sure no one is moving out of my town and checking out on everyone.

 

[Mayor Ng]

@DJStarstryker
I assumed that much. Do you think players would still be able to visit one another when Nintendo decides to shut down online features? Everything from Dream Suite to Club Tortimer will be affected no doubt but as long as you can connect to the internet, traveling between towns shouldn't be an issue right?

@Lady Timpani
I was aware of the shortages but not the scalper situation. I suppose that's why it's expensive at the moment.

@Halloqueen
"The two games offer somewhat different experiences, so I don't see its death as necessarily impending." - Can you tell what is the distinct difference between the two? I have a vague idea of the difference in gameplay, but otherwise I just assume you live on an island as opposed to a beach-side town.

@Rosewater
That's a shame tho. The New 3DS XL is my favourite console to date.

@Crossing123
That's nice. I was thinking more on the lines of new players, whether the demand will still be high based on geniune interest or the game just being an alternative substitute for ACNH.

Thank you everyone for replying!

 

[Xara]

i don’t see new leaf receiving any new updates especially with all the upcoming updates that new horizons will be getting

 

[Mayor Ng]

i don’t see new leaf receiving any new updates especially with all the upcoming updates that new horizons will be getting

Considering that the welcome amiibo cards can be scanned for both ACNL and ACNH titles, one can hope they might add more amiibo contents for ACNL. Anyways the reality is that New Leaf is past its peak along with the 3DS console but one can still hope. I'll continue to look out for New Horizons memes online.

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

 

[Romaki]

New Leaf made New Horizons possible, but I don't think it has staying power. PWP was a terrible system, it still uses designs as paths and the dialogue is not as good as previous titles. It was fantastic for 2013, but I think people rather return to the older games than to see the new functions in the first version. Everything that New Leaf did new is now better in New Horizons iirc, and everything old has more love in old titles.

 

[Mayor Ng]

New Leaf made New Horizons possible, but I don't think it has staying power. PWP was a terrible system, it still uses designs as paths and the dialogue is not as good as previous titles. It was fantastic for 2013, but I think people rather return to the older games than to see the new functions in the first version. Everything that New Leaf did new is now better in New Horizons iirc, and everything old has more love in old titles.

I like your insightful analysis. I never gave much thought about it since New Leaf was my first and only AC title that I have played (maybe I have played an older version when I was younger but I have no memory of it).

I suppose I should try ACNH out when it is more easily obtainable after the whole Covid-19 madness is over.

Thank you for leaving an insight.

 

[Lady Timpani]

I like your insightful analysis. I never gave much thought about it since New Leaf was my first and only AC title that I have played (maybe I have played an older version when I was younger but I have no memory of it).

I suppose I should try ACNH out when it is more easily obtainable after the whole Covid-19 madness is over.

Thank you for leaving an insight.

If you're able to you might try Wild World, either on the Wii U eShop or if you buy it secondhand. City Folk is also a possibility, although I'm not sure if it's available digitally. The GameCube game is my personal favorite, but I think it's been harder to come by in the past few years and can be pretty expensive.

Anyway, any of these might tide you over until you're able to get NH and can also help familiarize yourself with the series' roots. Hope you enjoy NH when you're able to get it, though.

 

[Mayor Ng]

If you're able to you might try Wild World, either on the Wii U eShop or if you buy it secondhand. City Folk is also a possibility, although I'm not sure if it's available digitally. The GameCube game is my personal favorite, but I think it's been harder to come by in the past few years and can be pretty expensive.

Anyway, any of these might tide you over until you're able to get NH and can also help familiarize yourself with the series' roots. Hope you enjoy NH when you're able to get it, though.

Thank you for the advice. I've been hearing favorable reviews for Wild World and might give it a try. I'll also lookout for a GameCube if it's available. I've recently restarted my town in ACNL and decided to take a no TT approach, just going to enjoy the slow grind and pace of it to pass time during this Covid-19 madness.

Stay safe out there wherever you are and see you someday in NH when I get my hands on it

 

[GalacticGhost]

I haven't played New Leaf at all since New Horizons came out, but I don't feel like NL is obsolete at all. There's still plenty of people who havent moved on to NH yet, for various reasons:

- People who can't afford a Switch/can't get one because of the current situation
- People who live with others who also play Animal Crossing, but can't afford multiple Switches so they can have separate islands
- People who want to play with others but can't afford/don't want to get NSO
- People who don't like the changes made in NH, like the crafting system and tools that break after a certain amount of uses
- People who prefer to play the older games over NH for various reasons - nostalgia, the older ones having a different 'feel' to them, etc.

There's probably a whole bunch of other reasons I haven't listed, but these are a few I can think of. Because there's so many reasons to still play NL, or any of the past AC games really, I don't feel like NL has become obsolete with the release of NH.

 

[Mayor Ng]

I haven't played New Leaf at all since New Horizons came out, but I don't feel like NL is obsolete at all. There's still plenty of people who havent moved on to NH yet, for various reasons:

- People who can't afford a Switch/can't get one because of the current situation
- People who live with others who also play Animal Crossing, but can't afford multiple Switches so they can have separate islands
- People who want to play with others but can't afford/don't want to get NSO
- People who don't like the changes made in NH, like the crafting system and tools that break after a certain amount of uses
- People who prefer to play the older games over NH for various reasons - nostalgia, the older ones having a different 'feel' to them, etc.

There's probably a whole bunch of other reasons I haven't listed, but these are a few I can think of. Because there's so many reasons to still play NL, or any of the past AC games really, I don't feel like NL has become obsolete with the release of NH.

I am aware of most of the situations you mentioned. I'm sure New Leaf is still played by many people as I am currently still playing it. However, I believe what others have mentioned is the reality for old games and consoles:

1. Many players gravitate to older titles like Animal Crossing Wild World for the feels and nostalgia (from what I know about more passionate Animal Crossing fans).
2. Animal Crossing New Leaf will still be playable but many online features will be inaccessible when Nintendo shuts down the wifi connection (Dream suites, Club Tortimer, etc). Similar to what happened to older AC titles.
3. I was merely hoping the potential future updates would be in the form of more Welcome Amiibo updates which is possible since the changes will be small but it is up to the AC team. However, with the AC team focusing on making New Horizons better in the future, it is highly unlikely.
4. Nintendo Switch Lite is very affordable compared to the original Nintendo Switch and future models could be even cheaper if Nintendo wants them to be. Kids nowadays wants the latest gadgets and games.
5. The New Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 2DS has been discontinued, once the parts runs out, it will be harder to get a refurbished one or even maintain them (The 2DS XL is the only model left to still be in production). Without the 3D feature, New Leaf will pale in comparison to New Horizons.
6. New Horizons was made possible by New Leaf, Pocket Camp and Happy Home Designer. Many players have voiced their disappointment with the PWP system and not being able to control villagers housing plots.

People have said that as long as there is a community, Animal Crossing games will not be obsolete, but Nintendo will no longer support those older titles in terms of updates and maintenance. It's already a blessing that the 2DS & 3DS consoles and games have last for more than a decade.

All these are based on observations and what has already been mentioned in this forum.
No conflict intended, I too hope New Leaf lives on for a little while longer

 

[RooftopsRevolution]

LOL Never. I love NH but New Leaf is my favourite release. I still play all of my towns from all generations. All of the games were timeless to me <3

 

[Candy83]

This topic, and giving an answer to it, reminds me of electronics products.

That there is a life expectancy for whatever the product. (I’m thinking of game consoles; not just game titles.)

There doesn’t tend to be a return to the old unless there is nostalgia—and the costs, for the manufacturers, are not much of a problem. And that the manufacturers have it figured they will make money from it.

 

[Mayor Ng]

This topic, and giving an answer to it, reminds me of electronics products.

That there is a life expectancy for whatever the product. (I’m thinking of game consoles; not just game titles.)

There doesn’t tend to be a return to the old unless there is nostalgia—and the costs, for the manufacturers, are not much of a problem. And that the manufacturers have it figured they will make money from it.

It's kinda bittersweet how far technology has advanced in just two decades. I was born in 95 and still remember having to connect to wifi using the landline and how exciting it was to get my first gameboy and how I would carry spare batteries around for me in case my gameboy ran out of battery. Nintendo has made older titles playable on newer consoles, making older consoles less and less demanded unless for collection purposes (bittersweet indeed).

Thank you for the feedback