Preordering physical media via digital storefronts has always been a slightly baffling concept. What’s the appeal of paying to play something on launch day without the express guarantee that said thing will arrive on time? Wouldn’t it be a smarter move to preorder a game at a brick-and-mortar storefront and ensure it’ll be accessible once the clock strikes midnight on the day of release? Better yet, in an era in which digital game sales have made shortages of physical copies of games more or less a thing of the past, why not skip the preorder process altogether?
That said, this is actually kind of a big deal, especially for hardcore Nintendo fans. The Animal Crossing series is near-and-dear to the hearts of many who grew up with a GameCube and a DS, and the 2020 release will mark the first mainline series release since 2012’s 3DS-exclusive New Leaf. It’ll also be the first fully-fledged home console Animal Crossing release since 2008’s City Folk, the franchise having been more or less absent on the Wii U. No, Amiibo Festival doesn’t count.
With Pocket Camp and Amiibo Festival in mind — those being the series two most recent incarnations — we almost understand why Animal Crossing fans would be so eager to preorder a title that won’t be out for another two and a half months. Nintendo has treated the franchise pretty poorly in recent years, and longtime players are probably desperate to move on from this depraved era in the franchise’s history.
