Animal Crossing New Leaf Message Board

- nearly half of the dev team were women
- sold more than 7.3 million copies
- around 18% of 3DS owners bought the game
- the dev group encouraged all of its members to submit their ideas for what to include

- Ms. Ayogoku was the first female game designer at Nintendo EAD when she started just a few years ago
- She emphasizes that we need more female developers in the industry
- AC:NL was a big success in Japan and saw shortages at retail
- Suggests development was “smooth sailing” but it wasn’t without challenges
- After the Wii version, New Leaf had to address series fatigue
- Therefore the team remembered its core: “Animal Crossing is a communication tool”
- Like the Zelda team, Animal Crossing: New Leaf rethought the series’ conventions
- Communication was the common thread. It’s its core
- New Leaf didn’t have 11th hour stress at the end of development due to subdued pace
- In-game events helped team mood
- Aya Kyogoku recommends New Leaf to other developers if working on their games becomes too stressful
- The team communicated and celebrated with each other during development using themes from the game
- No matter your role, #ACNL team members were free to contribute new ideas for characters, furniture, etc

The Nintendo 2DS has made it into the tiny hands of 2.1 million customers worldwide since its launch on October 12, according to Nintendo's financial highlights (PDF link). The 3DS, which launched in February 2011, has shipped 42.7 million units, while the DS family has shipped 154 million units in total.

Nintendo has sold 7.38 million copies of Animal Crossing: New Leaf worldwide since its initial Japan release in November 2012. New Leaf launched in North America, Europe and Australia in June 2013: From April 2013 to December 2013, the game sold 2.79 million units outside of Japan, and 730,000 copies in the country.

Nintendo posted a year-over-year net profit decline of 30 percent in the nine months leading to December 2013, with numbers dragged down by weaker-than-expected Wii U sales and console price cuts. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and board members are taking smaller salaries for a temporary period, French news outlet AFP reported.

January Events

New Year’s Day (1/1): Visit the plaza and celebrate with Isabelle. It’s also Lunar New Year’s Day in Korea.

Fishing Tourney (3rd Saturday, 1/18): Catch a ton of fish for Chip.

Daeboreum (1/15): This is a Korean holiday that celebrates the first full moon of 2014.

Available Insects: Ant, Bagworm, Bee, Centipede, Dung Beetle, Fly, Hermit Crab, Mole Cricket, Pill Bug, Wharf Roach

Available Fish: Barbel Steed, Bitterling, Black Bass, Blowfish, Bluegill, Carp, Coelacanth, Crucian Carp, Dab, Dace, Football Fish, Freshwater Goby, Giant Trevally, Goldfish, Horse Mackerel, Koi, Oarfish, Olive Flounder, Pale Chub, Pond Smelt, Popeyed Goldfish, Red Snapper, Ribbon Eel, Sea Bass, Sea Butterfly, Squid, Stringfish, Tuna, Whale Shark, Yellow Perch

Available Deep-Sea Catches: Abalone, Acorn Barnacle, Chambered Nautilus, Clam, Ear Shell, Giant Isopod, Horsehair Crab, Lobster, Mantis Shrimp, Octopus, Oyster, Pearl Oyster, Red King Crab, Scallop, Sea Anemone, Sea Cucumber, Sea Slug, Sea Star, Seaweed, Snow Crab, Spotted Garden Eel, Sweet Shrimp, Turban Shell

Special Events

Naughty or Nice Day (Europe 12/6): Visit a friend who lives in Europe and partake in the day’s festivities.

Fishing Tourney (2nd Saturday): Grab your best rod and catch lots of fish for Chip!

Winter Solstice (12/21): The sun never rises on this dark day! Visit Isabelle at the plaza for a special goodie.

Toy Day (12/24): Disguise yourself as Santa and help Jingle hand out toys.

Countdown (12/31): The New Year is upon us! Party at the plaza all night!

This new Nintendo Europe commercial starts out harmless enough. There are celebrities, there's some Animal Crossing, there's some 3DS. Then the crimes kick in.Read more...

Edberg Panganiban is now selling maybe the best Christmas stocking stuffer of them all: little resin Animal Crossing figures, hand-painted to match your own character's design.Read more...

Events
Fishing Tourney (3rd Saturday): Grab your best rod and catch lots of fish for Chip!
Harvest Festival (4th Thursday): Swap ingredients with your neighbors and help Franklin prepare the ultimate feast!

Birthdays

Nov. 1: Butch
Nov. 2: Iggly
Nov. 3: Snake
Nov. 4: Lucky
Nov. 5: Lobo
Nov. 6: N/A
Nov. 7: Bam
Nov. 8: Alli
Nov. 9: Pango
Nov. 10: Rodney
Nov. 11: Mac
Nov. 12: Mathilda
Nov. 13: Queenie
Nov. 14: Pancetti
Nov. 15: Sly
Nov. 16: Daisy
Nov. 17: Mallary
Nov. 18: Tia
Nov. 19: Amelia
Nov. 20: Sparro
Nov. 21: Flip
Nov. 22: Claudia
Nov. 23: Knox
Nov. 24: Shep
Nov. 25: Wolfgang
Nov. 26: Willow
Nov. 27: Phil
Nov. 28: Peaches
Nov. 29: Kabuki
Nov. 30: N/A

Available Insects: Ant, Bagworm, Bee, Centipede, Cricket, Flea, Fly, Hermit Crab, Long Locust, Mantis, Migratory Locust, Mole Cricket, Monarch Butterfly, Orchid Mantis, Pill Bug, Rice Grasshopper, Violin Beetle, Walkingstick, Wharf Roach

Available Fish: Barbel Steed, Barred Knifejaw, Bitterling, Black Bass, Blowfish, Bluegill, Carp, Char, Cherry Salmon, Coelacanth, Crucian Carp, Dab, Dace, Football Fish, Freshwater Goby, Giant Trevally, Goldfish, Guppy, Horse Mackerel, Koi, Mitten Crab, Neon Tetra, Olive Flounder, Pale Chub, Pike, Popeyed Goldfish, Rainbow Trout, Ray, Red Snapper, Ribbon Eel, Sea Bass, Sea Horse, Tuna, Whale Shark, Yellow Perch, Zebra Turkeyfish

Available Deep-Sea Catches: Abalone, Acorn Barnacle, Chambered Nautilus, Clam, Ear Shell, Giant Isopod, Horsehair Crab, Lobster, Mantis Shrimp, Octopus, Oyster, Pearl Oyster, Red King Crab, Scallop, Sea Anemone, Sea Cucumber, Sea Slug, Sea Star, Seaweed, Snow Crab, Spiny Lobster, Spotted Garden Eel, Sweet Shrimp, Turban Shell