Blatant Animal Crossing Clone Lands on PlayStation Store: 'Nintendo is Gonna Sue Somebody'

A recent discovery is set to add even more fuel to Nintendo’s fire after it reveals a blatant Animal Crossing: New Horizons clone.

We all remember how much of a good time the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was back in 2020.

The fifth major instalment in the beloved social simulation series allowed us to boot up our Nintendo Switch and build our very own island complete with adorable decorations and equally adorable animal villagers.

Not only that but thanks to its launch at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Animal Crossing: New Horizons around the world praised the Nintendo game for arriving at the perfect time, allowing friends to meet up virtually when they could not in the flesh.

Well, it seems as though any game developer thought the same as they have begun work on a very familiar looking game.

Spotted by IllustriousWallaby35 on r/playstation, a brand-new game can be seen on the PlayStation Store and is set for a 2027 release.

Titled Anime Village Online, you only have to take a quick glance at its cover art to see where it found its inspiration from.

I like to give ‘clones’ the benefit of the doubt but this one is pretty blatant and the original poster is probably correct when they said, “Nintendo is gonna sue somebody.”

Not only is the cover art a blatant copy but so is the gameplay where the character can be seen interacting with animal villagers, bopping them with nets, visiting their homes, fishing, and chopping down trees.

The only difference I can see at first glance is the UI but even that is a minimal change.

With Anime Village Online not expected to launch until 2027, it is pretty likely that this blatant copy will never see the light of day, especially if Nintendo gets wind of it and it seems as though fellow gamers agree.

“They are not even trying anymore,” the top comment reads.

User Drew2KXGville agreed, adding, “I usually try to play devil's advocate with these kinds of situations, but...this one's kind of on the nose.”

However, it was user FatKody that summed it up when they wrote, “This is why A.I. is going to kill the industry. They can churn out this garbage so fast the lawsuits won't be able to keep up.”

It remains to be seen what will happen with Anime Village Online but let us hope that this blatant Animal Crossing: New Horizons rip-off will not see the light of day any time soon.