Nintendo once confirmed to its fans that Animal Crossing: New Horizons would still receive regular updates this 2021, and it appears that it’s already making good on that promise. A few days ago, the company announced the Festivale update, and this new update is finally available to download now.
Although it’s worth mentioning that this January update simply serves as a preparation for the actual in-game Festivale event, which won’t take place until next month. On the bright side, this latest update offers several new items that players can purchase and add to their collections.
For those who download the latest January update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, they will be able to obtain maracas for free in their in-game mailbox. These maracas are meant to help players prepare for the exciting event that will be celebrated in their respective islands on February 15.
For those who don’t know, the Festivale event, just like the other previous events, will give players a particular task that they need to accomplish. For this event in particular, players have to catch colorful feathers that will be raining from the sky, which they then have to give to the visiting NPC, Pave the Peacock. The Festivale will also have a dance celebration, which surely sounds like a fun time.
That being said, players can expect more than just maracas in this latest Animal Crossing: New Horizons update. Among other things, players can obtain a statue of none other than the fan-favorite Mr. Resetti and add it to their vast collection, along with a couple of Super Bowl items. Making an effort to collect these items will surely keep fans busy while they wait for the Festivale event to roll around.
All players who download the new #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons update will receive Maracas as a gift in the mailbox in game. Use it during the Festivale event to express your festival spirit! Viva! Festivale! pic.twitter.com/j8czanliXJ
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 27, 2021
If players look beyond February 15, they can look forward to even more surprises in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For one thing, the next free update will take place in March, and it’s expected to be a Super Mario-themed update. Not only that, the game’s first anniversary will take place in March as well, so it would make sense if Nintendo has something big planned.
Seeing as Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be turning a year old very soon, perhaps the company will start working on a sequel or another mainline Animal Crossing title. Other fans speculate that maybe the company is contemplating a paid DLC at this point to keep the game fresh and entertaining.
Of course, these are just fan speculations and we can’t say for sure what Nintendo has planned for the franchise. What we do know for sure is that the game, until further notice, will still be receiving support from its developers. Also, it appears that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is diving into interesting collaborations with popular brands recently, as a ColourPop x Animal Crossing: New Horizons collection was revealed a few days ago.
The game may have been released for nearly a year, but New Horizons still continues to be a highly popular title—and its regular updates play a huge part in that. Of course, it’s to be expected that Nintendo will stop supporting it at some point in the future, but we do hope that it won’t be anytime soon.
