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Elementary student asks Nintendo when the new Animal Crossing comes out, gets a letter in reply

Katy Kelly Jan 24, 2020
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This little girl is frantically waiting for Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch… Sounds like a job for Nintendo’s legendary customer service!

Honestly, with the amount of blood, sweat and tears that goes into making a video game — let alone a really good, desperately awaited video game — it’s par for the course for said game’s release date to get pushed back a little. Or a lot.

One game facing this delay dilemma is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, known as Atsumare Doubutsu no Mori (Gather Round, Animal Forest) in its native Japan. With no mainline games since 2012 and barely a peep other than Isabelle’s cameo in Smash Brothers, fans were already raring at the bit for a new game: and the joy at Animal Crossing: New Horizon‘s 2018 announcement was tarnished shortly afterwards by the team confessing their estimate of a 2019 release was a bit, um, optimistic.

▼ Sorry, sorry, we meant 2020! Sorry.

Start a new life with the Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package and enjoy a peaceful existence full of creativity, fun, freedom and charm when #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons for #NintendoSwitch arrives March 20, 2020. pic.twitter.com/4retW0LrSZ

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 11, 2019

Though the trailer update gave the specific date of March 20, 2020, one ardent fan couldn’t quite understand why she couldn’t frolic around with her furry friends the second 2020 rolled in. This fan was Twitter user @temackee’s eldest daughter.

年が明けて以来、長女が毎日のように「Switchのどうぶつの森はまだ出ないのか。何とか早くやる方法はないのか」と迫ってくるので、「そんなに待ち遠しいならその気持ちを絵にしてみたら？できたら任天堂に送ってあげるから」と伝えてその通りにしたところ、

— umeda temaki (@temackee) January 21, 2020

“Ever since the new year started my eldest daughter has been pestering me every single day by asking: ‘Is Animal Crossing for the Switch still not out yet? Can’t we hurry it up somehow?’ So I said ‘If you’re that excited about the new game, why not draw a picture about how excited you are? If you do, I’ll send it to Nintendo for you.’
Well, she did draw a picture, and I sent it off.”

You can guess what happened next, right?

任天堂さんからお返事が届きました。
ちゃんと小2でも読めるくらいの漢字だけ使ってある配慮の行き届きよう。
長女は、はしゃぐかと思ったら黙って何度も何度も読み返して、ひとこと「…こりゃあ宝物だ」と。 pic.twitter.com/8bpp9y91t3

— umeda temaki (@temackee) January 21, 2020

“Nintendo sent a reply back in the mail.
They were kind enough to write their message while only using kanji that a second-grader in elementary school could read.
I was sure my daughter would flip out, but instead she read it silently, over and over again. Then she said just one thing:
‘This is something to treasure!'”

The letter reads:

“Thank you so much for always enjoying the games we make at Nintendo.
We also want to thank you for sending us such a lovely picture of Animal Crossing: New Horizons*. We could really tell how much you’re looking forward to the game’s release. Please wait just a little longer for the game to go on sale!*
We always aim to make fun games that everyone can enjoy, so we hope you’ll continue to play Nintendo games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the future, too.”

It took less than a week for Nintendo to send out a reply, and @temackee praised the company for their fast and thoughtful response. She described the relationship of trust between Nintendo and their fans as “exemplary”, and also mentioned that she told her daughter “I think it makes the people who make the game happy to hear how excited people are to play it. You did a good thing.”

Nintendo has long been praised for its dedication to its consumers, and its staff routinely go the extra mile to keep fans informed and aware. The comments to @tamackee’s thread were especially enthusiastic:

“What a lovely story. I bet your daughter will treasure it in her heart forever.”
“Nintendo have always been the best in the game when it comes to correspondence like this, ever since the old days. They rule.”
“Someone show this to Konami, please.”
“I wish I could see the picture your daughter drew!”

Just like @tamackee’s daughter, we can’t wait to take a trip to Animal Crossing: New Horizon‘s balmy shores this March… Until then, we’ll have to satisfy ourselves with ogling the cute merchandise available in Shibuya’s new Nintendo shop.

Source: Twitter/@tamackee via My Game News Flash
Top image: YouTube/Nintendo
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