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Animal Crossing: New Leaf Selling Strong in Japan

by Danny Bivens - November 12, 2012, 8:50 am EST
Total comments: 10 Source: Twiiter, https://twitter.com/doubutsuno_mori/statuses/26790..., https://twitter.com/doubutsuno_mori/statuses/26790...

It has not even been a full week, but tons of people have bought the latest Animal Crossing in Japan!

Nintendo has shipped 600,000 copies of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, known as Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori in Japan, to retailers across the country and is reportedly sold out in many locations, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata shared in a tweet earlier today. The game is also selling well digitally, with around 200,000 digital purchases being made since the game was released on November 8. Nintendo is planning to release an additional 200,000 physical copies of the game throughout the country by the end of this week to keep up with demand.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is available in Japan on physical cartridge or as a digital download directly from the Nintendo 3DS eShop or via a special download card. The game is scheduled to be released in the West next year. You can follow the Japanese Animal Crossing Twitter account here.

Talkback

geoNovember 12, 2012

This is definitely the type of game I will buy on eshop.  It's the kind of game i'd like to take with me everywhere, so, not having it take up physical real estate will be a huge plus. 

leahsdadNovember 12, 2012

Wow, Animal Crossing is selling like hotcakes.  In other news, when things go up, they then fall down.  Oh, and the sun rises, and later, the sun sets.


In all seriousness, definitely getting this at or near launch too.  Is New Leaf going to allow different players on the same cart, visiting each other's towns?  Would definitely save me from having to buy a copy for me and one for my daughter.  I'd rather save money and take turns.

MrPhishfoodNovember 12, 2012

Quote from: geo

This is definitely the type of game I will buy on eshop.  It's the kind of game i'd like to take with me everywhere, so, not having it take up physical real estate will be a huge plus. 

I never considered buying this game on eShop before until you said that. Thing is here in the UK the game costs 25-30% more on eShop compared to retail, but I'll probably pay the extra just so I can have it with me all the time.

Mop it upNovember 12, 2012

Quote from: leahsdad

Is New Leaf going to allow different players on the same cart, visiting each other's towns?

It works like the Wii game, there's one town and you can create four player characters. However, only the first character you make will be the mayor.

Ian SaneNovember 13, 2012

I complain that Animal Crossing needs a full blown sequel instead of the little chincy updates it gets.  But with sales like this you can see why Nintendo doesn't bother.  Not that that is a good thing, if anything it's very frustrating, but you can see things from Nintendo's perspective.

Ultimately if a company gets rewarded for a weak effort it's the customers' fault.  You get the Nintendo you deserve based on your buying habits.  Companies don't take shortcuts unless it is financially worth it for them to do so.  It's annoying though if your buying habits are outside the norm.  It's like losing an election.

I really would like to know what this so-called real sequel to Animal Crossing everyone's clamoring for would entail. The only idea anyone ever offers is making it an MMO, which would be a bad move for the series. What do you want the series to do that would be a significant upgrade if what it's doing isn't?

Ian SaneNovember 13, 2012

Quote from: NWR_insanolord

I really would like to know what this so-called real sequel to Animal Crossing everyone's clamoring for would entail. The only idea anyone ever offers is making it an MMO, which would be a bad move for the series. What do you want the series to do that would be a significant upgrade if what it's doing isn't?

I've always imagined something fully 3D like Zelda and more and more direct interaction with the world with each game.  Right now it feels like they just add a new feature or two, like I'm buying DLC.  Don't they even start every game with the same stupid train ride conversation?  Don't I always have to pay off my debt to Tom Nook?  How about they just not reuse any of the characters that can show up in the town?  They always start with the existing game and then build on it.  I would want them to start fresh.

They add a bunch of new features with each iteration, they're just sometimes things that don't seem like a big deal unless you play a lot of it. This one in particular seems to really add a lot to the formula, more so than any previous game. I don't think you can change the game as much as you want without it becoming something else entirely, which some people might want, but would alienate the fan base of the series. Personally, I get the itch to play Animal Crossing every few years, and it's worth it to me to buy another one to get the best available version of it.

Luigi DudeNovember 13, 2012

Yeah, since there's only one Animal Crossing per system I don't see why they need to radically change them.  It's the same reason I don't have a problem with most Nintendo franchises that don't change the core gameplay much between iterations because they're usually spaced out very well.  It's not like we're swimming in these games because they're getting yearly installments or anything.

It's been 4 years since the last Animal Crossing game and 7 years since the last handheld Animal Crossing was released.  So unless these fans have been playing the games non-stop for the last 4-7 years I don't see them getting sick of it.

noname2200November 14, 2012

Quote from: MrPhishfood

I never considered buying this game on eShop before until you said that. Thing is here in the UK the game costs 25-30% more on eShop compared to retail, but I'll probably pay the extra just so I can have it with me all the time.

Keep an eye open for those digital cards: you might be able to snag one at retail prices.

Quote from: Ian

Ultimately if a company gets rewarded for a weak effort it's the customers' fault.  You get the Nintendo you deserve based on your buying habits. 

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=1327;type=avatar
Because it's the Nintendo we deserve, but not the one we need right now.

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