Fans have begun expressing their outrage and surprise over an Animal Crossing clone scheduled to release on PlayStation 5, and it isn’t hard to see why. There have been a number of Animal Crossing clones released over the years, from triple-A titles like Hello Kitty: Island Adventure to indies like Hokko Life. However, this time, the clone has perhaps gone a little too far, leading to fans taking serious umbrage with it.
The clone has garnered critical reception from fans and journalists alike, stirring up quite the controversy online. Animal Crossing fans have taken to Reddit, with user YellowFlower69 posting to the r/PlayStation subreddit, stating, “Someone is getting Sued.” Interestingly, this isn’t the first time this has happened this year alone, meaning this could be a persistent problem that is ultimately only hurting fans.
A New Animal Crossing Clone Game Has Appeared On The PlayStation Store
It Is Called Animal Village Online
The Animal Crossing clone making the rounds online is called Animal Village Online. It was added to the PlayStation store recently and currently has a release date of 2027. It’s PlayStation store listing claims that players will be able to “design and expand your own charming house, craft furniture, grow crops, catch fish,” as well as explore and decorate an island, meet NPCs, play online across multiple platforms, and even use an in-built game chat system.
There’s currently only one screenshot that looks as if it could have been taken from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as the art style is identical to Nintendo’s iconic series. As aforementioned, this isn’t the first time an Animal Crossing clone has caused controversy. Earlier this year, a game titled Animal Life Sim garnered a significant amount of media attention, in large part thanks to its AI-generated screenshots that made it look exactly like New Horizons.
That game is no longer available on the PlayStation store, indicating it was taken down either by the original creator or by Sony itself. It wouldn’t be the first time Sony has taken down games that potentially infringe on copyright, nor the first time the PlayStation store has been flooded with blatant clones. Crucially, fans have already begun to voice their concerns and frustrations with Animal Village Online specifically, going as far as to say that Nintendo should take legal action.
Fans Think Animal Crossing Clone Will Be Sued By Nintendo
Users Accuse The Developer Of “Playing With Fire”
Over on Reddit, users have been calling out Animal Village Online, with user sunrae_ stating that the developer is “playing with fire.” User T0DR shared a similar sentiment, writing “Someone is losing their job,” with user the_kanna_chan backing them up, saying, “you’re fired.” The general feeling among fans in the Reddit thread is that this is clearly infringing on Nintendo’s IP and shouldn’t be allowed to be released, especially if it ends up looking like the game’s current key art implies it will.
User Psychological-Run-40 also stated that “Nintendo about to be on THEIR A**“, and that’s likely true. After all, Nintendo’s recent litigious behavior is likely to result in Animal Village Online being taken down, just like Animal Life Sim before it. However, what makes games like these so frustrating to fans is that they’ve been waiting for a new entry in the series for over five years at this point. Teases like Animal Village Online, that promise everything fans want from a new Animal Crossing game, only end up hurting patient fans.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great games like Animal Crossing, both available now and releasing soon. Titles like Hello Kitty: Island Adventure and Hokko Life best replicate the original Animal Crossing experience, while the likes of Horizonite and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure put a fun twist on the formula. These are actually worth investing your time and money in, and games like Animal Village Online, which are clearly just trying to rip off Animal Crossing, should be avoided.
- Released
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March 20, 2020
- ESRB
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E for Everyone: Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Havok
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
