After nearly seven years online, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be shutting down. To replace the disappearing game, Nintendo will be creating an offline version.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was a part of Nintendo’s push into the mobile space, but the game’s live service aspects will completely shutter on Nov. 28. Despite that, Nintendo has shown mindfulness toward the title’s preservation, as Pocket Camp’s developers plan on releasing a version of the game to enjoy offline. The team states that more information regarding these changes will arrive “around October.”
Gamers have already voiced their excitement and appreciation about Nintendo’s forethought on the shuttering, with many highlighting a shift in the dialogue that consumers have with the gaming giant. Previously, something like this would have likely required an online push from fans who wanted to play the game offline.
From a preservation standpoint, Nintendo has become infamous for limiting access to media after its commercial viability. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a shining example of the company using that precedent against fans, creating false scarcity to sell more products. This shift in behavior explains much of the surprise that gamers are expressing following this announcement. It’s currently unknown how long this offline version will be available for download, and whether it will cost money to users.
Players and archivists like Lewtwo have noted their expectations for this to be the standard going forward. Furthermore, these users have reminded others preservation’s still an issue for other communities, such as Pokemon, in hopes the same care is extended there.
Although there are gamers who are just disappointed about Pocket Camp shutting down, many players regard this as an overall win despite the closure. Gamers hope this is the start of a better track record for Nintendo on these matters.
