Nintendo announces Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for Mobile; Details

Late last night, Nintendo, via their "Direct" online briefing, finally revealed their latest foray into mobile gaming (after announcing the game back in 2016) with a new Animal Crossing title dubbed, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. The basic gist of Pocket Camp is just that, to build and grow a vibrant and bustling camp or campground.

The gameplay is a simplified version of the console's concept, do favors for one animal and getting something, like materials, to build an item for your camp. New items and features should entice other animals to show up and visit, then, rinse and repeat. It's a clear gameplay loop at its core, doing simple tasks that reward the player with small items so they can build bigger and better things in hopes of getting more items again and again.

Aside from the building a camp concept, there are also things to explore like beach areas, rivers, and even an island. Each day, you visit these locations with a camper and you can earn "Leaf Tickets." Leaf Tickets are the in-game currency and how Nintendo will "monetize" the Pocket Camp. Just like coins or gems in other mobile games, Pocket Camp's Leaf Tickets will allow players to buy materials instead of slowly collecting them or they allow players to speed up the game, like the length of time it takes to craft furniture. Nintendo didn't mention anything about the price of Leaf Tickets or how many you receive for a certain dollar amount.

For players who enjoy customization, Pocket Camp has you covered too. There's character creation and more via the Happy Home Designer.

A specific date wasn't given for Animal Crossing Pocket Camp's release, other than late November. Platforms were also left off the table, but I think it's safe to assume that iOS and Android are going to be the main two (and probably only) mobile platforms.

Despite the game not being available until late next month, some Android and iOS users have gained access to the game in Australia. As such, a flood of info has been making its way online, like the "My Nintendo Rewards." There are nine total rewards that can be redeemed, including Motors Cap/Jacket, 5,000 Bells (a currency), Wood, Steel, Cotton, Paper, Reserves and lastly, Leaf Tickets.

If you need more ways of earning points, you can always link you Nintendo Account, Twitter and Facebook accounts, which can earn you 300 points.

As I mentioned previously, the game is available now for some at least Down Under, though, we aren't sure how long that will last. Chances are if you have it already you might be in luck assuming Nintendo doesn't shut down the servers in the meantime. So far, reports from people who've played the game, seem to really enjoy it.

If you have an Android device and want to pre-register (why you'd need to do this for a free game, is beyond me), you can head over to the game's landing page here.