Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp players blast "greedy" Nintendo as new items roll out despite the game's imminent shutdown

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out — (Image credit: Nintendo)

As Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp nears the end of its service, Nintendo announces some of the new paid items that are coming to the game - and fans aren't exactly thrilled.

It's quite a time for Animal Crossing stans - we're not getting any more New Horizons updates, and Pocket Camp is ending this fall. While there is indeed another mobile game coming soon after support for Nintendo's free-to-play gem ends, it won't be the same. The new app will be entirely offline and fans won't have to pay for in-game purchases with real money anymore - but that doesn't mean that Pocket Camp is done with microtransactions just yet.

In an announcement, Nintendo reveals a "sneak peek" of paid items coming to Pocket Camp - and clarifies that it "will continue distributing new events and items until service ends." Any purchases made will carry over to Pocket Camp's successor alongside a save data transfer, but that doesn't mean that the community is happy. Some fans call Nintendo "greedy," saying the company wants players "to buy tickets and new cookies right up to the last minute."

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Here's a little sneak peek at some of the items coming in September. We also have some rough sketches of items we're planning for October-November for you to check out. We will continue distributing new events and items until service ends. pic.twitter.com/jnsvJlVDdAAugust 26, 2024

Others express how the preview of new Pocket Camp items is "bittersweet." A Reddit thread highlighting such voices showcases as much: "This is everything I’ve wanted for so long but not knowing what the new game will be like definitely leaves me unsure." Another fan states that their "excitement is slightly dampened" due to Pocket Camp's coming end. "I don't even know what the best use of my time and money is without info on the future of the game."

With just a few months left before Nintendo closes the doors on Pocket Camp, there are three themed item drops and events to look out for - in September, October, and finally, November. I personally feel down about the entire situation myself, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not going to be hoarding every item possible before service for the app ends. Those of us spending our hard-earned money can only hope that it'll all carry over.

Looking for something new to play? Here are games like Animal Crossing to check out.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.