Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp players, your (presumed) dreams are dead. Upcoming Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing: New Horizons will not feature any kind of direct connectivity with the mobile game. That catalog you’ve been working on full of expensive fortune cookie furniture? Well, it’s staying on your phone. That character you’ve invested in for the past year-and-a-half? They’re going to continue camping. Forever. No deserted island full of fun for them! Nope, just endless piles of Leaf Tickets, gyroidites, and golden rod rentals. Nyuk, nyuk!
It’s a disappointing revelation, for sure. I enjoy Pocket Camp for what it is — as much of a shameless cash grab as it can be at times — but part of the reason I’ve been so heavily invested in the game since its launch in 2017 is because we were told connectivity with the main series of Animal Crossing games would be a thing. I imagined all my hard work doing endless gardening events and fishing tourneys would pay off there. No dice.
When I put together my list of my 14 most-wanted things for Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch (prior to the E3 2019 reveal of New Horizons), I mentioned I would be publishing a further wishlist for what I wanted to see as far as Pocket Camp integration goes. Despite the fact that we aren’t going to see any direct ties between the games (apart from a few planned collaboration items), I still wanted to detail what I’d hoped to see as far as integration goes. Imagine this is an… alternate reality of some sort where such connectivity is still a possibility.
Without further ado, here’s how I imagined connectivity between Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp would function.
Character transfers
First and foremost we have the very, most basic level of integration: I expected the ability to transfer characters from Pocket Camp to New Horizons à la Wild World to City Folk. Pocket Camp players would be able to figuratively, and literally, pack up their RVs and move it to their New Horizons town, creating an exact copy of their character in the Switch game. Doing so would transfer their entire catalog of Pocket Camp furniture, clothing, and collectibles (including bugs and fish) to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Yes, that’s right: That would mean the whole, vast catalog of event furniture and all those sweet items you remortgaged your house for would be available in New Horizons. New Horizons would be constantly updated to have parity with Pocket Camp, so whenever a new fortune cookie or Gyroidite Scavenger Hunt dropped in Pocket Camp, all those items would be made available in New Horizons, too, if you transferred them over. This would be a great way to keep players invested in both titles, and would allow Nintendo to keep nickel-and-diming us for content while prohibiting microtransactions in New Horizons — but with the added benefit of being able to use our expensive junk on the Switch, too!
But what about those who don’t play Pocket Camp? To that, I say — what about them? They have the gall to call themselves true Animal Crossing fans when they haven’t spent upwards of $700 trying to get this stupid, frigging thing?
Just kidding — not playing Pocket Camp doesn’t make you any less passionate about the series. For those who want stuff from the Pocket Camp catalog in New Horizons but don’t have a character to transfer over or just don’t have a certain item, I picture there being an alternative method of obtaining things. Perhaps every so often, good ol’ Redd could drop by in his shady tent and sell special Pocket Camp furniture, like items from Lobo’s solo table cookie or Cherry’s rockin’ cookie or that one weird… bubble thing your campers float around in. If not Redd, then perhaps Harvey could fill this role. After all, he was only invented to sell Happy Home Designer furniture in New Leaf following the “Welcome amiibo” update — this would be a natural evolution for him. Plus, he already ran a campground in New Leaf complete with RVs! It makes too much sense!
Hold up… Complete catalog parity? Constant updates? That sounds like a TON of work for the developers! It’s completely unrealistic! Yeah, I hear you. And y’know what? I agree. But this is my wishlist of already-dashed dreams, so I’m gonna build it however I like.
Players who transfer over their character would arrive in their New Horizons town with their RV from Pocket Camp, which they could redecorate to their heart’s content once they’re settled in (I’ll go into how I’d imagined RVs in Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch to function a little later). If they so choose, they can have their transferred character cross back over to Pocket Camp to “pick up” any items they got in the mobile game in the meantime since their last transfer. Did Twiggy’s stick cookie come out in the three months since your initial character transfer, and have you bankrupted your family collecting all the items? Don’t let your ruined credit be in vain: Climb into your RV in New Horizons, head back to your Pocket Camp campsite, and update your catalog!
Special items in Pocket Camp
What about on the Pocket Camp side, though? After all, this integration should be a two-way street, shouldn’t it? I thought it’d be pretty cool if by connecting your copy of New Horizons to Pocket Camp, it’d unlock some exclusive items, campers, and amenities in the mobile game.
We haven’t had a good look at a lot of the furniture we’ll be seeing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but given the theme of the game (at least at the start) is “deserted island,” it’d make sense that these special items would fall under that theming convention, as well, right?
By linking your New Horizons island to your Pocket Camp file, you could unlock something like a grass hut amenity (boy, we haven’t seen a new one of those in a while, have we? Thanks, Blathers and Gulliver), which would eventually pave way to a second-tier “Secluded Island” and then a third-tier “Beach Resort” amenity. All three would fall under the “Generic” Theme category, but I wouldn’t complain if they invented a special “Tropical” or “Island” Essence and Theme that all the New Horizons-exclusive stuff fell under.
The grass hut is pretty self-explanatory, so I don’t think I need to describe it to you. In case I’m wrong, though, here’s a photo of a grass hut I found on Google:
Okay, now picture that in Pocket Camp. There you go.
For the “Secluded Island” tier-two amenity, I’m imagining a small island surrounded by a ring of water with a pair of palm trees and, like, a beach towel where your campers could lay and get their bronze on. That portable radio seen in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons debut trailer could also be there, playing a rendition of the New Horizons theme song with steel drums, a pan flute, and the marimba.
The “Beach Resort” tier-three amenity would take everything quiet and peaceful about the “Secluded Island” amenity and just burn it all down. In their place would be a tall hotel building (almost like the High-Rise Office Building amenity), also surrounded by palm trees, with a hot tub that could seat two campers at its base. The pair could sip the purely innocuous and not-at-all-alcoholic “vacation juice” recently added to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp during the “Pascal’s Crunchy Munchies” gardening event.
Please drink responsibly.
How would we craft these new amenities, though? Well, if Nintendo were to take the “Generic” Theme approach, we’d just have them all unlocked immediately after linking our New Horizons and Pocket Camp games. If they went with my ideal option, which is to add a new “Tropical”/”Island” Theme, we’d use the associated Essence to craft everything — and we’d get that Essence through new campers added to Pocket Camp!
All of these “Tropical” or “Island” campers would be pulled straight from Animal Crossing: New Horizons — the new villagers debuting in the game. Because, come on: we know we’re getting a bunch of new animals. After all, Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS introduced a whopping 100 new ones!
“Tropical”/”Island” campers pulled from Animal Crossing: New Horizons would be island-themed, preferably initially dressed in tropical shirts and sunglasses or something. These wouldn’t be all the new animals introduced in New Horizons — just a handful. Given that New Leaf introduced so many, I’m guessing New Horizons will introduce a similar amount, and it wouldn’t be prudent for Nintendo to just lock them all behind linking the two games. I’m sure they’ll want to release the majority of New Horizons animals in Pocket Camp in batches over time.
Lastly, I’d imagined Pocket Camp players unlocking special in-game furniture for linking up with New Horizons. This is actually the only thing confirmed to actually be happening: “collaboration items.” I’m guessing this means something akin to the Splatoon 2 and Mario items we’ve seen in the past.
My idea for the unlockable furniture had them all categorized as “Tropical”/”Island,” and them all being new items introduced in New Horizons. This wouldn’t be as crazy as the entire Pocket Camp catalog appearing on the Switch — just 20 or so of the coolest new items (probably island-oriented) Nintendo is dropping on us in New Horizons.
Invite campers to your New Horizons island
Another feature I’d imagined was the ability to invite any of the campers you’ve befriended in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island. Have a ton of dreamies in your Pocket Camp game you want in your New Horizons town, too? Not a problem. Just head on over to them in Pocket Camp, invite them over, and they’ll pack their things and start a fresh life in your settlement. They’d arrive on your island in the clothing you’d given them in Pocket Camp, and would also retain your Friendship Level (should that feature return in New Horizons).
What would happen to them in Pocket Camp, though? Well, nothing, really. They wouldn’t disappear. They’re just camping there, after all. I suppose in-game dialogue could change to reflect the fact that their true “home” is your New Horizons island, so perhaps they could bring up your town name from time to time and stroke your ego a bit about how awesome life there is.
Customizable RVs
I covered this topic already in my broader Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch wishlist, but I’d love for RVs to make a return in Animal Crossing: New Horizons — and if Pocket Camp integration was still viable, I’d love for there to be exclusive RV-related unlockables for those who connect their save files.
Given that we now know the next Animal Crossing game will take place on a deserted island… Well, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say carting an RV to it just isn’t practical. But since we’re doing away with silly notions of what’s practical and what isn’t in this article about stuff that the developers of Animal Crossing: New Horizons have already since isn’t happening at all, let’s just dive right in here. Here was my idea for the customizable RVs:
“Players would be able to purchase one from brothers Giovanni, Carlo and Beppe, who’d take up shop somewhere on Main Street. Players could then paint the outside, expand the inside (which would mean, yes, another debt to pay off), and decorate it however they like. Players would take their RVs when visiting other towns, replacing Kapp’n’s taxi, the town gate, and train stations of past games. Which would be sad, since the train is by far my favorite method of travel especially due to the atmosphere the sounds of arriving and departing trains created in the original game.
Players’ campers would act as homes-away-from-home when visiting other towns. Your friends would be able to enter and admire your RV, and, of course, steal any ideas for their own. Additionally, players would sometimes find other campers in their town downloaded through the internet, either around the main village or in a designated area like the Campground from New Leaf’s ‘Welcome amiibo’ update.”
Remember how I talked about crossing back over to your Pocket Camp game to collect any new items you’d like transferred over to New Horizons? Jumping into your RV would be how you’d do it! It’d be a quick animation, but it’d be charming as heck watching yourself climb in and drive away.
By linking Pocket Camp and New Horizons, you’d also unlock special paint jobs for your RV in both games. I’m thinking something like an island-print, maybe with little wave patterns and palm trees on the sides? Surfboards on the roof? And then maybe give the entire RV some oversized sunglasses over its headlights for that extra touch of tackiness.
What we’ll most likely get
Y’know what the best part of this whole list is? I don’t have to worry about what may or may not happen, because none of it is happening! Oh, well… It was still fun thinking of what could’ve been. I have no doubt Animal Crossing: New Horizons is going to be a spectacular game, and any tie-ins with Pocket Camp won’t matter in the least. Despite everything I’ve detailed above, here’s what we’re probably going to see:
A New Horizons-themed Pocket Camp seasonal event in March 2020
At first, I figured maybe we’d get one or two special items in our Pocket Camp mailboxes to celebrate the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but then I remembered this is a Nintendo mobile game and they’re gonna milk it for all it’s worth. Instead, on top of some free items, I’m predicting an entire month dedicated to Animal Crossing: New Horizons — a gardening event, Gyroidite Scavenger Hunt, and fishing tourney, all with New Horizons-themed rewards.
If you don’t know, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp tends to do these things called “seasonal events” each month, which establish an overarching theme for their regular events (fishing tourneys and the like). I’m expecting March 2020’s seasonal event to be called something like, “A Dream of New Horizons” or… “Deserted Island Jubilee” or… “March’s Masterful Moneysink.” You can quote me on that.
Oh, and of course there’ll be some exclusive New Horizons-themed items you can only craft with Leaf Tickets, because it wouldn’t be a Deserted Island Jubilee without them!
New campers over time
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will take advantage of some or all the new animals introduced in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I’m thinking at the game’s launch, we’ll get about five or six New Horizons campers as part of the seasonal event I’m predicting. Over time, Pocket Camp will add more and more of New Horizons’ freshman class, but there’ll likely be a huge camper blow-out leading up to or after March 20th. Also, if we’re getting new species (like bats or lizards or ferrets) in New Horizons, consider at least one of them to be a leading contender for addition in Pocket Camp.
Well, that’s it for my ideas for Animal Crossing: New Horizons-Pocket Camp integration. They may be pipe dreams at this point, but I’m still curious to know what you think! Sound off in the comments and be sure to keep plugged in to Nintendo Wire for more Animal Crossing: New Horizons news and content as we inch closer to its release!
Want to know everything you can about the next Animal Crossing? Be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to absolutely everything we know about Animal Crossing: New Horizons!
Leave a Comment
Written by Daniel Dell-Cornejo
Daniel is an editor at Nintendo Wire. Always with his head in the clouds, he is never apart from his creative thoughts – a blessing for an aspiring fiction writer. As a journalist and lifelong gamer, he aims to provide readers with the very best in Nintendo coverage.
