A new PlayStation game with similarities to games like Animal Crossing has leaked, and if the claim is accurate, gamers won’t have to wait long to play it. PlayStation gamers who missed out on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo-only phenomenon might be able to scratch the itch with this upcoming release.
To say that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was an impactful game is to put it extremely lightly. While the title largely built upon the legacy and gameplay mechanics that Animal Crossing: New Leaf had established years prior, it happened to arrive when the world was dealing with the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. While many turned to games for relief, Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ cozy experience and multiplayer capabilities left a huge impression on many at a time when the real world was facing serious danger. However, since the game was only available for the Nintendo Switch, those without the console missed out on the experience entirely.
PlayStation Reportedly Getting Its Own Animal Crossing-Like Game
Media Molecule, the developer behind games like Dreams and LittleBigPlanet, is reportedly working on a game that draws inspiration from Animal Crossing. According to a report from MP1st, the new open-world game is reportedly arriving in 2027. Much about the game is still under wraps so far, with it reportedly also taking some cues from Harvest Moon. The unnamed project isn’t going to be a game-as-a-service title, so players may be able to enjoy it fully offline. However, the game will feature “social aspects,” which may imply a stronger emphasis on multiplayer capabilities than Animal Crossing: New Horizons offered. According to the leaker, players shouldn’t expect to see the title fully revealed prior to 2027, so there may still be some significant changes made to development before light is officially shed on the project.
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While a lot about the PlayStation Animal Crossing-like game remains a mystery, it has some significant promise. Games by Media Molecule have received positive reviews in the past, and the developer is known best for games that give players a ton of freedom and creative tools to work with. Dreams allowed players to build their own game experiences from the ground up. If some of those elements were incorporated into an Animal Crossing-like game, players could potentially have the capability of customizing and reshaping their game world even more than the terraforming tools of Animal Crossing: New Horizons allowed for.
With all that said, players should take the leak with a grain of salt. In addition to a lack of solid confirmation from the developer or Sony, the current rocky state of the game development industry could potentially impact the game. A number of titles in recent years have been canceled outright before they ever reached players, and Media Molecule itself was in danger of being shut down a few years ago. The studio’s tendency to utilize a small team of developers may help it to avoid the worst, but Sony has recently cut or canceled games from studios that have underperformed previously, like with Kojima’s upcoming Physint, which was rescued by Xbox.
For the moment, all players can really do is wait and see what Media Molecule rolls out next. With any luck, the team can put together a game that satisfies fans of the cozy life sim genre on PlayStation.
