According to Nintendo, Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands will easily transfer to Nintendo Switch 2 consoles. Fans of the game concerned about losing the work they put into their islands no longer need to worry about losing access to their New Horizons data as they shift to using the Switch 2 system.
Polygon reported that when players initiate a full system transfer from the Switch to the Switch 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands will also be included in the large-scale transfer, permanently moving their islands to the new console without the need of a separate application, and preserving all the time fans spent while making their slice of paradise on the original Switch.
Takuhiro Dohta, Nintendo's Programming Management Group Senior Director, told Polygon:
“So I should clarify that when you do the system transfer, everything like save data will remain on the Nintendo Switch and once it moves to the Nintendo Switch 2 as well. ... But the [Animal Crossing] island will be an actual move. So it will leave Nintendo Switch and move over to Nintendo Switch 2.”
This news comes as Nintendo faces consumer backlash following Switch 2 Direct over game prices and other details. players reacted with particular frustration, as Nintendo did not announce any new content related to the franchise at any of its numerous Directs.
Animal Crossing Fans Can Jump To Switch 2 Without Worries
No App Or Cloud s Needed
Players have the ability to transfer their New Horizons islands from one Switch console to another by using the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Island Transfer Tool app or by ing their island to the cloud. Now, all they'll need to do is go through the System Transfer process (as outlined by Nintendo) without the use of a separate application to move their island.
Are you afraid that the Nintendo Switch 2 will get even more expensive now that preorders are paused?
The Nintendo Switch 2 is already pretty expensive at $449.99, but now that preorders have been paused because of the incoming tariffs, I am worried that the price will increase. Surely this is because Nintendo is trying to figure just how much this is going to affect their shipping costs. If the increase is too much for their bottom line, that is going to result in us gamers paying even more for the console. I have my fingers crossed that this will not be the case, but I worry the Nintendo Switch 2 will end up being at least $100 more than was already announced.
However, fans should note that they won't simply receive a copy of their island on the Switch 2. If files are transferred, the island will actually leave the Switch version of the game, making it inaccessible on the Switch from that point forward. Given this information, a complete system transfer should be done with caution, as it's not known whether content can be moved from the Switch 2 back to the original Switch.
Our Take: But When Will Switch 2 Get Its Own Animal Crossing?
Fans Need To See New Animal Crossing Content
Loyal fans of the Animal Crossing franchise were disappointed that a new game wasn't announced with the Switch 2. New Horizons debuted on the Switch to a lot of fanfare that included a themed console release, and the game reached new heights of popularity thanks to its timely March 2020 release. Having an easy way to transfer islands is not enough to convince dedicated Animal Crossing players to buy the Switch 2, especially since Nintendo has no current plans to provide pre-New Horizons GameCube titles on the new system.
Nintendo will need to bring new Animal Crossing content to the Switch 2 to maintain a large portion of their player base. It's possible the company is already working on the next Animal Crossing and keeping its plans under wraps, perhaps with the intention of releasing another themed console. But for now, fans can rest easy knowing they'll be able to continue caring for their islands and villagers from Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch 2.
Source: Polygon
