Animal Crossing: New Horizons summer update adds swimming

By Don Reisinger Updated April 25, 2023

Nintendo has floated the first of two summer updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The first update will launch on July 3 with the ability for players to swim and dive to find underwater creatures and meet new characters, Nintendo said in a statement on Thursday, June 25. When players dive into the sea around their islands, they’ll be able to “scoop up sea creatures” and add them to their museums. Blathers will also share some “fun facts” about the characters after they’re donated.

Pascal the otter will feature into the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update with a love for scallops. When players grab one from the sea, they can give the scallop to Pascal, who will then “share some of his mermaid-themed DIY recipes.”

Every now and then, an unidentified “familiar face” will come to shore in different articles of “pirate-like clothing,” Nintendo said. When players help the character, they’ll receive an award. The company also promised a host of new items in the game, including mermaid-themed furniture.

The announcement comes as a variety of fish and insects prepare to leave the game at the end of the month. Players who haven’t yet collected everything from the Peacock butterfly to the Cherry Salmon fish will need to do so before they’re kicked from the game in July. Nintendo didn’t provide a full list of new creatures that will replace them when the summer update launches.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched on the Nintendo Switch in March. The game has become a massive hit with players around the globe and created a new economy for people to buy and sell virtual goods, including villagers. Earlier this month, Nintendo said it was banning offline sales of virtual goods because they violated its terms of service. The move also eliminated Nintendo from receiving a cut on each sale.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons update will be available for free next week. It’ll be the first of two summer updates, with the second launching in early August. Nintendo said that it will share additional details about its “wave two” summer update before its launch.

Updated on June 25, 2020: Added information from Nintendo’s statement.

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Don Reisinger is a freelance technology, video game, and entertainment journalist. He has been writing about the world of…

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