Animal Crossinghas experienced a lot of highs and lows lately, with the enormous success ofNew Horizonsfollowed by the cancelation ofPocket Camp, which was then proceeded by the rerelease ofPocket Camp. However, the next game in the series remains a mystery, and fans who want something new are left in the dark. Luckily, it seems like Nintendo isn’t the only one eager to produce a social sim experience with quirky animals, as a new competitor could be on the horizon.
WhilePocket Camp Complete’schangeswill help to tide those over who’ve been waiting patiently forAnimal Crossing 7, fans' patience is understandably running low. Luckily, Ubisoft, of all developers, has a rumored social sim in the works, one that could not only rival Nintendo’s critically acclaimed social sim series but also one of the biggest games of all time: Minecraft. While many may be skeptical at first due to Ubisoft’s current reputation,there is a good chance that its rumored social sim could end up beatingAnimal Crossing.
Ubisoft Is Allegedly Working On An Animal Crossing Type Game
It Has Been In Production For 18 Months
According to a report fromInsider Gaming,Ubisoft is making its ownAnimal Crossing-esque social sim calledAlterra. While these rumors come from an unspecified source and thus must be taken with a grain of salt, not only does Insider Gaming have a strong track record with Ubisoft titles, but frankly, this doesn’t seem particularly surprising, especially coming from a publisher that has attempted in the past to capitalize on trending games, including by making its ownslightly unsuccessful version ofCOD.
Ubisoft has certainly experimented with a number of different genres, but it is fair to say it isn’t known for its social sim games. However, perhaps more surprising is that, allegedly, the creative director ofGotham Knights, Patrick Redding, is at the helm. Of course,Gotham Knight’srelative failuredoesn’t necessarily mean that Redding isn’t up to the task of making what Insider Gaming described as an “Animal Crossing-inspired social sim that will see players inhabit a home island that will consist of interactable NPCs named Matterlings.”
As Nintendo struggles toproduce theAnimal Crossinggame fans want, it could be up to Ubisoft to swoop in and dethrone the once-laudedsocial sim leader.
In fact, with everything that Insider Gaming has claimed about the rumored upcoming Ubisoft social sim, it could be even better than Nintendo’s efforts. Details are naturally quite slim at the moment beyond some cursory ideas that were divulged, but it is still enough to get an idea of what Ubisoft is going for, and it is absolutely intriguing. As Nintendo struggles to produce theAnimal Crossinggame fans want, it could be up to Ubisoft to swoop in and dethrone the once-lauded social sim leader.
Alterra Is Animal Crossing Meets Minecraft
It Will Allow Players To Create Anything They Want
According to the sources that spoke to Insider Gaming,the big thing that separatesAlterrafromAnimal Crossingis the inclusion of voxel creation. Essentially, this would allegedly work in the same wayMinecraftdoes, wherein players could gather whatever materials they need from the open world and then build a house or whatever they can imagine out of those materials. It seems like a slight upgrade over the morelimited island customizationAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsoffered.
“Sweet And Extraordinary”: Fans Revisit Animal Crossing Movie From 2006
Screenshots from the 2006 Animal Crossing movie have resurfaced and fans are reminiscing about the sweet depiction of their favorite villagers.
WhileAlterrahas supposedly been in development for 18 months, it was “born following the cancelation of another project that used voxel creation and was in development for around four years,” according to Insider Gaming. This bodes well for the voxel creation side of the game, as it means that a substantial amount of effort had been put into it beforeAlterraessentially took it over. Insider Gaming teases different biomes with unique materials, which sounds incredibly exciting and will add a lot of depth to exploration.
Ultimately, this is what setsAlterraapart and gives it the potential to be thebest game likeAnimal Crossingor perhaps even better.The combination ofMinecraft’sbuilding andAnimal Crossing’ssocial aspects is an incredibly appealing propositionand one that will undoubtedly take the cozy gaming scene by storm. However,Alterrawould need to balance this combination in order for it to work and avoid falling into the pitfalls thatNew Horizonsdid.
WhatAlterraneeds in order to trumpAnimal Crossingis a greater focus on its villagers - or Matterlings as they’ll allegedly be called - and make them feel like an important part of the game and the player’s digital life.
Prioritizing the mechanical freedom that the voxel creation allows for over the social sim elements could make it feel like a diluted version ofAnimal Crossing, like so many of the other games that have attempted to ape its gameplay stylings.WhatAlterraneeds to trumpAnimal Crossingis a greater focus on its villagers- or Matterlings as they’ll allegedly be called - and make them feel like an important part of the game and the player’s digital life.
Ubisoft Might Beat Nintendo At Their Own Game
It Is Shaping Up To Be The Ultimate Crossover
Ubisoft genuinely has a chance of creating the next best social sim experience, especially considering the level of talent and resources that are allegedly behind it. Supposing that the rumors are true,having a triple-A competitor toAnimal Crossingfeels like an exciting opportunity as well as a bit of a no-brainer. It is surprising that it has taken this long for a triple-A publisher to attempt something akin toAnimal Crossing- outside ofDisney Dreamlight Valley, of course - but Ubisoft could absolutely be the one to do it.
However, if it has any chance of genuinely rivalingAnimal Crossing,Alterrawould need to ditch all ofUbisoft’s less popular business practices, including lootboxes and paid cosmetics. One of the aspects that makesAnimal Crossingso great is the freedom of design and expression, which paid cosmetics would greatly limit. While it is amazing thatAlterrawon’t just be an exact clone ofAnimal Crossing,it should definitely copy its approach to monetization.
With The Release Of Animal Crossing Complete, Nintendo Should Release A Full Version Of Another Mobile Game
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete is a brilliant way to sunset a live-service mobile game, and another Nintendo title could benefit from the same.
Of course, Ubisoft may not have been everyone’s pick for the developer of anAnimal Crossingcompetitor, but it is important to remember that among its handful of disappointing titles, Ubisoft has crafted some of the best games available. It is a competent developer that is capable of crafting unique experiences that others have failed to replicate when it puts artistry before monetization.Alterra, or whatever it potentially ends up being called, could absolutely beat Nintendo at its own game and become the next best alternative toAnimal Crossing, especially for those on any platform other than the Switch.
