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[IbizaPocholo]

Nintendo Patent Appears to Show Animal Crossing Loot Boxes

Nintendo news hints that the company has file for an Animal Crossing patent, hinting about the involvement of loot boxes in the future.

gamerant.com

According to online sources, Nintendo has filed a patent that involves a lottery system wherein players can win Animal Crossing furniture items. The details are still quite vague at this point, but the information shows that the patent was filed late last year. Only being published recently, the patent indicates that users may have to use virtual currency to be able to enter the lottery system. Doing so will put them in the running to obtain the furniture items, though it is not clear whether the items are for a current title or for one in the future.

The patent also does not indicate what kind of virtual currency will be used to enter the so-called lottery system. On one hand, it could mean that users can exchange the in-game Animal Crossing Bells for the lottery, or Nintendo may be coming up with a new kind of premium currency that players may have to shell out real-life money for. Nevertheless, all these can be considered speculation until Nintendo announces anything official about the patent.

 

[CheeseCake]

has filed a patent that involves a lottery system wherein players can win Animal Crossing furniture items.

 

[MrA]

Pretty sure there are already in game raffle events, but if this is paid loot boxes that be incredibly lame on nintendos part and given the kid heavy audience a great way to draw government attention

 

[yurinka]

How can they patent stuff that already exists in other games? Loot boxes a.k.a. item lottery using in-game system has been implemented in hundreds of games. I assume the patent was about something else.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Is this possibly for a mobile game they might be releasing? Fire Emblem Heroes makes a mint so I could see a huge market for Animal Crossing on mobile.

 

[nikos]

Is this possibly for a mobile game they might be releasing? Fire Emblem Heroes makes a mint so I could see a huge market for Animal Crossing on mobile.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is on mobile.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp | Nintendo

Welcome to the official home page for the Nintendo smart-device game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of camp life...anytime you want!

ac-pocketcamp.com

 

[Spukc]

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is on mobile.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp | Nintendo

Welcome to the official home page for the Nintendo smart-device game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of camp life...anytime you want!

ac-pocketcamp.com

Wonderfull game i played it for a while and suddenly i got greeted by a mechanism that said you either wait 4 days or pay up real cash for whatever bullshit currency we have invented. Uninstalled

 

[Ezquimacore]

While Nintendo loves coins as much as any other greedy company. I'm not worried about this because so far their dlc efforts have been fair for the content you get. You don't even have to waste a penny on their mobile games like fire emblem heroes or Dragalia Lost.

 

[Oddvintagechap]

Sony and Nintendo have been pretty bad at this. I when I opened Ghost of Tsushima multiplayer I was like .. huh wheres the coins? Sackboy they keep giving free skins.

 

[SCB3]

I wonder if this was the original idea behind the Amiibo cards for AC, they sell out super quick

 

[jigglet]

I imagine in the year 2045 some low level employee at Nintendo busts through the doors and says to the executives: ok ok boys, make sure you're sitting. There's this new trend that swept the nation back in the early century: loot boxes!

Then everyone collectively gasps and says: alright let's do it, let's show these bitches how it's done.

 

[gradient]

Just say no to Loot Boxes

 

[RoboFu]

It has always had loot boxes. They float in on balloons

 

[MomsNewBoyfriend]

Member when animal crossing wasn't about filling out catalogs and checking off boxes? When villagers didn't exist just to suck your character off? I member

 

[mcjmetroid]

I would say the temptation to not shove loot boxes into Animal crossing must be overwhelming.

But no I will never buy a game with lootboxes or microtranstions in it. I'm lucky at the moment because it hasn't affected any games I actually care about.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is on mobile.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp | Nintendo

Welcome to the official home page for the Nintendo smart-device game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of camp life...anytime you want!

ac-pocketcamp.com

I realise that and have played it and promptly uninstalled it, it's not a full-fledged Animal Crossing game. I think it was Nintendo's way of testing the waters with the franchise and it appears to have done fairly decently.

An actual Animal Crossing where you do everything you'd normally be doing in an Animal Crossing game would do huge numbers on mobile. There is a lot of potential for a game like that on mobile that would let them "get away with" the microtransactions and loot boxes while still being a full Animal Crossing entry.

 

[Captain Toad]

I don't get Animal Crossing. I've tried. I'd be too bored opening loot boxes for AC furniture if they were free. I can't imagine spending real money for them.

But, I know, Nintendo will make a killing if they do this. Mostly, from housewives.

 

[mcjmetroid]

I don't get Animal Crossing. I've tried. I'd be too bored opening loot boxes for AC furniture if they were free. I can't imagine spending real money for them.

But, I know, Nintendo will make a killing if they do this. Mostly, from housewives.

It's not really my thing either but I can understand the appeal. It's an addictive game for those you don't want any challenge or anything like that. It's a fun timewaster

 

[RoboFu]

It's not really my thing either but I can understand the appeal. It's an addictive game for those you don't want any challenge or anything like that. It's a fun timewaster

It’s much harder to pay off a AC loan than it is to beat the last God of War. Just saying

 

[mcjmetroid]

It’s much harder to pay off a AC loan than it is to beat the last God of War. Just saying

Well no like it takes a while to pay off loans but other than that there is no challenge in terms of reflexes and coordination with a controller in animal crossing games.
Except maybe fishing and catching bugs in the net that sort of thing.
There is a small bit of item/resource management but it's not even as intense as say a SIMS game in that department.

I'm not saying this as a knock on the game but challenging it is not.

 

[Bluecondor]

Well no like it takes a while to pay off loans but other than that there is no challenge in terms of reflexes and coordination with a controller in animal crossing games.
Except maybe fishing and catching bugs in the net that sort of thing.

I am 99% in agreement with you. Even fishing and bug catching is really easy, especially once you get the hang of it.

The amazing exception to this is when you try and catch tarantulas and scorpions, and when you try and avoid a swarm of wasps. With tarantulas and scorpions, they appear suddenly in the open world and you have to be vigilant in how you approach them, or else they will bite you. These are two of the most valuable bugs in the game, and if you mis-step while trying to catch one and it bites you, you lose out on the bug and it disappears as you are sent back to your house. There's just something about this that is really enjoyable, as you feel a sense of accomplishment when you catch a tarantula or scorpion, and a slight sense of frustration/loss when one bites you (especially if you swing your net too early).

Avoiding wasps is also sudden and engaging as well. A wasp nest suddenly falls from a tree and here comes the swarm of wasps. If you happen to be holding your net, you have a small window to swing it and catch a wasp, which ends the threat. If you swing and miss with your net or if you aren't holding a net, you can try and run to a doorway, but the wasps chase you relentlessly. I have never actually been able to evade a swarm of wasps. They bite you and now you have to take 1 medicine to recover.

I really wish that Nintendo added more things like this to the game. To your point, if the activities are all slow-paced and easy, you feel like there is no challenge in much of the gameplay loop.