It may be the end of Animal Crossing as a series because of a new free game developed by HoYoverse. The classic Nintendo franchise is a hit among fans of cozy games and has long been a reference in the genre. The release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020 set a new standard for cozy games, influencing more modern releases like Disney Dreamlight Valley.

The dreams of a sequel to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, however, may have met a rough end, as HoYoverse has just announced a competitor game. Called Petit Planet, the new life-sim game is set in space, and allows you to visit multiple different planets, which are much like the islands from Nintendo’s franchise.

HoYoverse Has Just Announced Petit Planet

Petit Planet is set to be a cozy game that draws inspiration directly from Animal Crossing. In it, you’ll be able to claim a planet of your own and gradually farm resources and modify the landscape to craft it to your liking. Meanwhile, you’ll also be able to have special Neighbors, which should act like the Villagers from the classic life sim series.

Beyond taking care of your planet and expanding the social options at home with your Neighbors, you’ll also be able to explore the galaxy in search of new planets, connecting to new Neighbors, as well as other players. The game is planned to have a wide range of multiplayer functionality. Petit Planet will be released for PC and mobile, though the date has not yet been disclosed.

Petit Planet May Be Animal Crossing’s Worst Nightmare

The F2P Game Seems To Be Reaching For A Wider Audience

Three different fluffy Neighbors look at the sky in Petit Planet.

This new game may be the worst nightmare for the Animal Crossing series as a whole. First off, this is likely going to be a F2P (free-to-play) game, like all the others under HoYoverse’s belt; this includes Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and more. As opposed to Animal Crossing games’ AAA costs, HoYoverse may offer a free solution to players who want to enjoy a cozy life sim.

Furthermore, the game will be made available on PC and mobile, with ports for other platforms currently in development. This shows that HoYoverse wants to reach a wider audience than the Animal Crossing series, whose core games are limited to Nintendo consoles. Lastly, Petit Planet is seemingly trying to improve the gameplay system and, moreover, the multiplayer experience from its competitor, which could put it on the radar more easily.

You can sign up for the beta test on the official Petit Planet website. It’s unclear what monetization system the F2P game will adopt; it could rely solely on cosmetic sales, for example, though blocking Neighbors behind a gacha system could be complicated. Even so, I’m convinced Petit Planet will prove to be rough competition for Animal Crossing moving forward.