I'm still not over New Horizons, and now Nintendo is ending support for another Animal Crossing game in favor of a new "paid" version - with fewer features

News
By published

RIP Pocket Camp

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
(Image credit: Nintendo)

It's official, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will soon be no more - at least not the one fans currently know and love, as Nintendo opts for a new microtransaction-free app instead.

Suppose you're like me and have poured a ridiculous amount of money and time into Pocket Camp, today marks a bittersweet revelation - the app we've been dedicated to since 2017 will soon be no more. According to Nintendo, the cozy mobile game is set to go offline this fall on November 29. "After service ends, you will no longer be able to play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp," reads the developer's announcement.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel, though - Nintendo also says it's "currently developing a paid version of the app to which you will be able to transfer your save data." This new app, "paid" without any pesky microtransactions, "will be released during the same period as the end of service for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp." It won't be everything that Pocket Camp was, though - "some features" are missing.

See more

"Since this app will not require a continuous online connection," Nintendo explains, "some features that require that connection, e.g. Market Boxes, gifts, and visiting other players' campsites will not be available." Leaf Tickets won't be transferred either, so players should make sure to redeem theirs before Pocket Camp shuts down. As for the game's subscription service, refunds will not be issued.

This isn't Nintendo's first rodeo when it comes to shutting mobile apps down - Miitomo, Dr. Mario World, Dragalia Lost, and Mario Kart Tour all come to mind. While I'm happy to see the studio shift away from microtransactions, especially as free-to-play gacha games are on the rise with upcoming Animal Crossing-esque titles like Floatopia, I'm sad to learn about Pocket Camp - although my wallet probably isn't.

Want something new to play? Here are great games like Animal Crossing to check out.

See more Nintendo Switch News
Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

Read more
Mario
Nintendo Switch Online drops a game from its lineup for the first time ever, and the "concerning" move has fans worried: "This sets an upsetting precedent"
Anime Life Sim
After unsuccessfully attempting to launch a Monster Hunter clone, this controversial dev is now supposedly releasing an Animal Crossing-like game on PS5
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing's "obscure references" were all "localized out completely" before its debut in the West, as Nintendo felt it needed to "change everything"
Atelier Resleriana
One of the oldest ongoing JRPG series adds its divisive gacha spinoff to the live service graveyard after barely a year
Three girls face the camera with big smiles in Animal Crossing New Horizons
15 Games like Animal Crossing that are so wholesome it hurts
Latest in Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing's "obscure references" were all "localized out completely" before its debut in the West, as Nintendo felt it needed to "change everything"
Anime Life Sim
After unsuccessfully attempting to launch a Monster Hunter clone, this controversial dev is now supposedly releasing an Animal Crossing-like game on PS5
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp's new paid version has finally arrived and is microtransaction-free, but fans already miss the old app
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
As the free-to-play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp prepares to go offline, Nintendo reveals more on the paid replacement - including its $20 price tag
Galactic Getaway
This multiplayer life sim is like Animal Crossing in outer space with Mario Party minigames, and it's just what I needed this Steam Next Fest
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp players blast "greedy" Nintendo as new items roll out despite the game's imminent shutdown
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
More about animal crossing
Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing's "obscure references" were all "localized out completely" before its debut in the West, as Nintendo felt it needed to "change everything"
Anime Life Sim

After unsuccessfully attempting to launch a Monster Hunter clone, this controversial dev is now supposedly releasing an Animal Crossing-like game on PS5
Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity series writer jokes about how writing follow-ups to the hit found-footage horror "was a thankless task" because of the illusion that the movies are real: "'Oh, it’s so easy! You improvise!'"
See more latest
Most Popular
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity series writer jokes about how writing follow-ups to the hit found-footage horror "was a thankless task" because of the illusion that the movies are real: "'Oh, it’s so easy! You improvise!'"
Andor season 2
Andor showrunner hopes that the Disney Plus show's success helps convince Lucasfilm to sign off on either a Star Wars horror movie or sitcom
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers with the rest of the gang during the superhero movie, The Avengers.
The OG Fox X-Men are back, with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and more joining the cast of Avengers: Doomsday alongside a whole new Avengers team to take on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
The Handmaid's Tale season 6 first look: Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
The Handmaid's Tale will go back to basics with a "classic" series finale that's been years in the making
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Black Mirror season 7
Charlie Brooker promises Black Mirror season 7 is "a bit more OG", having previously said that he didn't want the series to be known as "the 'tech is bad' show" anymore