After seven years, the popular mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is going offline. Nintendo announced that the game’s online service will end on November 29th, rendering it unplayable after that date. The Pocket Camp Club subscription will also cease to exist. However, in a surprising twist, Nintendo revealed plans for a new paid version of the app, set to launch around the same time as the shutdown. Players will have the option to transfer their existing data and continue their camping adventures in this new version.
While this move requires fans to pay another fee to keep playing, it also eliminates in-app purchases and additional services. Nintendo promises the new app will maintain the core gameplay and controls of Pocket Camp but will omit certain features that relied on an online connection, such as visiting other players’ campsites.
The company plans to release more information about the new app in October. Meanwhile, enrollment in the Pocket Camp Club will be terminated on October 28th, along with any automatic renewals.
Pocket Camp debuted in 2017 as part of Nintendo’s expansion into mobile gaming, alongside titles like Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes. The game captured the essence of Animal Crossing, allowing players to manage and customize their own campsite, complete tasks for fellow campers, and earn money to further enhance their camp. However, Nintendo has scaled back its mobile ambitions in recent years. Out of the seven Nintendo-published mobile games (excluding Niantic collaborations like Pikmin Bloom and Pokémon Go), five have either discontinued service or halted new content updates: Miitomo, Dr. Mario World, Mario Kart Tour, Dragalia Lost, and now Pocket Camp.
