Some keen-eyed Nintendo fans have spotted an Animal Crossing: New Horizons edition of Monopoly on their recent Walmart visits. Animal Crossing: New Horizons became a massive hit after its release in March 2020, and merchandise surrounding the life simulation series has become incredibly sought-after as a result.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a beloved game. It can be credited to keeping many families and friends connected throughout the various lockdowns that were enforced during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. But even without players hopping from island to island to visit their loved ones, the simple and gentle escape provided by the game was a welcome breath of fresh air for minds, bodies, and souls in 2020. This has seen the rise of not only official Nintendo merch for Animal Crossing, but also an array of fan made projects dedicated to the title, which has included one homemade edition of a New Horizons themed Monopoly board. However, fans may not have to keep recreating their own versions of the popular board game for much longer, as there appears to be some official Animal Crossing: New Horizons Monopoly sets now out in the wild.
Originally reported by Nintendo Everything, and then verified by Twitter user SquigglyPete155, Animal Crossing: New Horizons editions of Monopoly have been spotted at Walmart, despite Nintendo itself not officially announcing anything. The game's box shows off four villager character tokens that are included with the set. Each character is posed to look as though they are partaking in one of the many island activities in New Horizons, such as fishing or catching bugs in a net. It also shows that, rather than earning traditional Monopoly money, players will instead earn Nook Miles in a bid to win the game.
The revelation that there is now another piece of Animal Crossing: New Horizons memorabilia will no doubt be great news for fans of the series. Stock of anything Animal Crossing related has been flying off shelves over the last 12 months, with online waiting rooms being put in place in several cases. Along with board games, fans can also purchase the official Animal Crossing x Build-a-Bear series of stuffed toys and some new ACNH-themed summer apparel.
This rise in popularity for Animal Crossing merchandise does have a dark side, however. Along with adorable new items of ACNH clothing and homeware, there has unfortunately also been an increase in scalpers manipulating the system. Some Animal Crossing Sanrio amiibo cards recently appeared on online auctions sites with mark ups of over $100, well above their retail price. In order to prevent this from happening again, Walmart may well enforce its own purchase limits on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons edition of Monopoly, now that the game has been revealed to be in existence.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for the Nintendo Switch.