Some Animal Crossing characters made a surprise appearance over the weekend, filling in an otherwise empty crowd at the Detroit Lions' stadium during an NFL game on Sunday. Teams have been experimenting with how to fill in their home fields during the season, especially in broadcasts, where the emptiness is magnified by wide-angle shots showing rows of chairs eerily unfilled.
It's not a surprise to see Animal Crossing make the leap to pro sports - the franchise, and in particular Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch, is a global phenomenon this year and one of 2020's best stories emerging from the video game industry. Nintendo's release was always expected to do well, but a number of external factors created ample opportunity for fans to dive into the game with their newfound extra time, and the results have been inspiring. Whether it is Animal Crossing: New Horizons fan recreations of their favorite multimedia moment or the birth of entirely new content that's taken on meaning of its own, Animal Crossing continues to deliver positive moments to players. While other professional sports teams have tried with some success to help make games feel attended by simulating crowd noise, the Detroit Lions took it a step further: simulating fans altogether.
In an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Indianapolis Colts played yesterday, the Lions used their homefield advantage to produce a stadium filled with cutouts from Animal Crossing. Fans were quick to spot this during the broadcast, and, while most of the cutouts were villager creations, some of them were characters from the game, including fashion icon and bug-hater Blathers.
It's not surprising that the Detroit Lions Animal Crossing crossover happened in-stadium, as it's already happened outside of it. The Lions used Animal Crossing: New Horizons to announce their 2020 schedule earlier this year, and it's clear that their marketing team has its finger on the pulse when it comes to which video game characters are most likely to be recognized by fans. Other teams have tried using different properties, too, so it's not like the Lions are the first to try this kind of visual aesthetic. The Denver Broncos used South Park characters during one of their games in September, although the Lions' choice is significantly more family friendly.
It's a nice, calming constant in an otherwise turbulent year for gaming to see Animal Crossing continue to be a cultural phenomenon. It was also a welcome sight for Lions fans, who can at least take solace in the fact that their team's marketing department has some good ideas - the team ended up losing a lop-sided game to fall to 0-3 at home on the year, meaning even the power of Blathers' infectious enthusiasm and Gulliver's...whatever Gulliver's positives are couldn't help motivate a team still trying to figure out how to win in Detroit.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Source: DaliDimovski/Twitter