Nintendo has announced an Animal Crossing: New Horizons-focused Direct will take place on October 15. So far, all we know is that Brewster and his cafe, The Roost, will finally be joining the game after over a year of fan speculation and requests. While this alone makes the game's long awaited November update significant, it likely isn't the only thing Nintendo is adding to New Horizons.
A year and a half out from launch, it's clear Animal Crossing needs additional content to keep players engaged and bring back those who have been away from their islands for months. Here are three things we'd like to see announced for New Horizons.
New Horizons Needs a Wider Variety of Vendors
There may not be many shops on player islands in New Horizons, but rotating traveling vendors like Kicks, Leif and Redd add variety and atmosphere to the game, as well as reasons to check in on the game every day to hopefully interact with them. That said, of the 12 rotating visitors, only four are vendors who offer a range of themed items. The others, such as Flick and C.J. or Celeste and Gulliver, offer specific perks or gifts.
Introducing more traveling vendors definitely would help. Katrina the fortune-teller could visit to read fortunes for a fee, thus reintroducing the perks attached to the luck mechanic. Reese and Cyrus could run a pop-up version of their Re-Tail shop, offering furniture modification services beyond a limited catalog of wedding furniture. Expanding the services of existing visitors could also add much-needed variety. For instance, Label could offer players access to a small catalog of higher-end clothing items not available at the Able Sisters Shop.
New Leaf's Town Ordinances Should Return
Town ordinances were a feature of Animal Crossing: New Leaf that allowed players to enact a decree that altered gameplay aspects. The purpose of ordinances was to make the game more accessible to different playstyles or habits, making adjustments for those who visited infrequently or were more likely to play early in the morning or late at night.
New Horizons would definitely benefit from a similar mechanic. While this was justified in New Leaf by the fact the player was their town's mayor, in New Horizons, the Resident Representative could take on the same role. Alternatively, these could be presented as motions that all island inhabitants could vote on.
Mini-Games Could Improve Animal Crossing's Multiplayer
With Brewster arriving and Halloween and Christmas seasonal events fast approaching, New Horizons is likely to see an influx of lapsed players returning to the game to engage with its new content. This presents an opportunity to win players back long-term, and the best way to do this would be by introducing multiplayer mini-games. These could be enjoyed by multiple residents from the same island or when friends from different islands visit. Inspiring friendly competition between players could add a lot of substance to New Horizons and its social focus without interfering with its relaxing nature or gentle themes.
To an extent, the Animal Crossing community has taken the initiative, using island decorations and terraforming to build interactive environments for visitors to engage with. However, introducing more substantial activities that are part of the core game -- potentially with NPC involvement -- could increase immersion and open up more opportunities to enjoy New Horizons with friends.