Upcoming Animal Crossing Game May Bring Back Beloved City Folk Feature

Although Nintendo has yet to announce the next Animal Crossing game, it’s hard to imagine the company shelving such a wildly popular franchise. Given the immense success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020, fans are likely just waiting for the next chapter to be revealed. Historically, Nintendo tends to release a new Animal Crossing game every three to four years.

As anticipation builds, speculation is growing that the next Animal Crossing title might coincide with Nintendo's next console release. With New Horizons raising the bar for the series, any new installment will need to be exceptional to meet the high expectations of fans. One sure way to please longtime players would be to bring back a beloved feature from the series' past: the Moving Van.

The Next Animal Crossing Should Reintroduce City Folk’s Popular Feature

The future Animal Crossing game has endless possibilities for new content—whether through exciting locations or unique villagers. However, it’s important to stay true to the core elements that have defined the franchise. While an adventurous setting like an underwater town or a space colony sounds intriguing, Animal Crossing could still maintain its identity by blending new innovations with classic gameplay elements.

One standout feature that deserves a revival is the Moving Van, which was first introduced in Animal Crossing: City Folk in 2008. This feature allowed players to transfer their villagers from the 2005 game Wild World into City Folk. During the game’s introduction, Rover would offer players the option to bring their favorite villagers from the Nintendo DS game into the new world. Players could either start fresh or move in their familiar villagers, adding a personal touch to the experience.

When a Wild World character was transferred, they would keep their original name, eye color, hairstyle, and facial features. This also streamlined the process, as Rover skipped the usual questions about appearance. Even more impressively, most furniture, wallpaper, clothing, and other in-game items from the Wild World catalog would also transfer over through the Moving Van feature.

Considering that Wild World was on the Nintendo DS and City Folk was on the Wii, this cross-platform transfer over a decade ago showed Nintendo’s ability to innovate with game connectivity. With rumors that the next Animal Crossing game may arrive on the successor to the Nintendo Switch, the idea of bringing back the Moving Van feels not only nostalgic but entirely feasible.

Moving Forward with Modern Technology

New Horizons already allows players to transfer their island saves between Switch consoles, with an option to move saved data using the Island Transfer Tool, available for free in the Nintendo eShop. With this kind of technology already in place, reviving the Moving Van feature seems like a logical next step. Given that Animal Crossing has handled cross-platform transfers before, incorporating this into the next game is well within reach.

Moreover, with the incredible amount of time players have invested in New Horizons, it would make sense to let them carry over some of their hard-earned progress. As Rover once said in City Folk, players "can’t just kiss that all goodbye." While it remains debatable whether town layouts and customizations should be transferable, allowing players to keep their favorite villagers would be a welcome touch, honoring the countless hours spent searching for and bonding with them.

With the next Animal Crossing title looming on the horizon, Nintendo has a golden opportunity to blend fresh ideas with beloved features from the past, ensuring a satisfying experience for both new and veteran players alike.