For the last year,Animal Crossing: New Horizonshas given players something to take their mind off the world, providing something of a respite from the day-to-day troubles of quarantine and other stresses of life. The game has been a critical and commercial success, withAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsdriving Switch salesin numerous ways. Of course, that success was bound to inspire imitators.
Spotted by the Twitter account Nintendeal and more widely circulated by PCGamesN, a listing for “Animal Crossing New Horizons"has appeared onthe Microsoft Store. Featuring selling points like “5 playable characters,” “difficulty increasing,” and “table of top scores,” the game clocks in at the budget price of $2.99. If it wasn’t obvious enough already, the game is not the Xbox or PC port ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonssome might think it is.
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Instead, thisAnimal Crossingclone has very little to do with the game it’s ripping off. In fact, the screenshots on the Microsoft Store indicate that the game is a clone ofCrossy Road,a viral game from the last decade that was partially inspired by the success ofFlappy Bird.The five playable characters referenced in the game’s description aren’t even modeled aroundAnimal Crossingcharacters, instead being regular animals.
The listing first appeared in March, according to the webpage, which means it’s flown under the radar for a decent amount of time.Nintendo is protective of its IP, so it is a minor miracle that the game has stayed live for so long. Of course, with the game finally being spotted, its days on the Microsoft Store are likely numbered. While the temptation to buy it might be there among some, it probably isn’t a great idea.
Cheap clones of games are nothing new, often being an easy way for nefarious companies to trick unknowing consumers into buying something malicious or misleading. While the game might be easily spotted as fake by gamers, those casually browsing for mobile games might be tricked a bit more easily. That being said, the $2.99 price point should be enough for anyone to raise their eyebrow at the situation.
The most unfortunate part about the entire situation is thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswould be a great game to have on PC and Mobile, though the odds of that ever happening in an official capacity are slim to none givenhow Nintendo does business. One can always dream, though.
