Animal Crossing History

Animal Crossing Through the Years

Katsuya Eguchi is the creator of Animal Crossing. The first release was in 2001 and the original name, Dōbutsu no Mori translated into Animal Forest. It was initially released on the N64 cartridge (Nintendo 64) and later enhanced to the gamecube in the same year. They later released it officially in 2002 on September 16th in North America and slowly launched worldwide by 2004. Throughout the years the popularity of Animal Crossing increased and as technology advanced, so did this game loved by many.

“Animal Crossing features three themes: family, friendship, and community, but the reason I wanted to investigate them was a result of being so lonely when I arrived in Kyoto. - Katsuya Eguchi

Timeline of Released Games

As Animal Crossing grew in popularity, each game released had a different look and objective. For instance, New Leaf (2013) introduced the idea of the player becoming the Mayor of their town. Isabelle, the assistant is a character who guides the user to help create their world. They can decorate it however they like such as building fountains, bridges, coffee shops and more.

New Horizons is one of the newest games released by Nintendo and became the most popular Animal Crossing game. Within the first six weeks the game sold over 13.41 million copies worldwide, reaching 45.85 million units by 2024. They say: Compared to previous installments, New Horizons aesthetics are even more detailed, with more realistic flora, detailed characters, intricate furniture, and weather patterns (Animal Crossing Wiki 2).

Below is a brief timeline of the released games.