The first anniversary of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is coming up on March 20, and fans are anxiously awaiting an announcement detailing how Nintendo intends to celebrate. In the year following its release, the latest installment of the Animal Crossing franchise has sold over 31 million copies. The release was unintentionally well-timed, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the slow, community-based game gave players a great outlet during quarantine. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is undoubtedly one of the video games that defined 2020, even earning a nomination for Game of the Year in the 2020 Game Awards.

One of the staples of Animal Crossing is the holiday events Nintendo has designed for players. From Halloween to birthdays and Mardi Gras, there’s always a celebration to look forward to. Having a celebration for the game’s one-year anniversary is a no-brainer.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons could plan a standard event following the pattern it has established. Celebrations are usually a scheduled event with a new NPC who visits the island, and the opportunity to earn themed items. Nintendo could celebrate by throwing an Animal Crossing party and it would be nice - but they could, and should, go big. Nintendo has released a plethora of updates to Animal Crossing adding new features and fun items, but there are two things players have been asking for: general quality of life improvements to the game’s functionality, and the return of everyone's favorite coffee-loving pigeon, Brewster.

While Animal Crossing is an enjoyable game that takes time to appreciate the little things in life, some of those little things happen very, very slowly. Terraforming an island square by square, only being able to craft one item at a time, and having to go into the fitting room multiple times to buy more than one kind of item are just a few of the inconveniences that slow players down and can cause frustration.

Players don’t have a problem with the real-time format of the game, but certain tasks could be accomplished in a much more efficient manner. A quality of life update for New Horizons would be a huge deal and would be the best way to celebrate the game’s anniversary. It would show that Nintendo is listening to feedback from players and willing to make changes that would improve Animal Crossing in a major way.

The other major thing players have been asking for is the return of Brewster, an endearing coffee-loving pigeon who runs a coffee shop called The Roost. Brewster became a favorite in previous Animal Crossing games like City Folk and New Leaf, making his absence from New Horizons very conspicuous. Apart from his popularity, adding Brewster and his coffee shop to the game would give players the chance to add another building to their islands. Able Sisters, Nook’s Cranny, and Blathers’ museum are all great, but a couple more shops would go a long way in creating a more realistic town experience.

Fans have asked for Brewster in every update, but Nintendo has been silent about if and when he might return. Bringing Brewster back to the franchise in honor of New Horizons’ first anniversary would be a celebration indeed, and a way to thank fans of the franchise for their continued loyalty.

If Nintendo doesn’t make a big deal out of the game’s anniversary, it might be because it wants to celebrate the formation of original islands. Instead of commemorating the game’s birthday, it would be a fitting substitute to throw a big party on the birthdays of individual islands. For some players that date would be March 20, but for others, it could be much later.

Surely Animal Crossing wouldn't let island anniversaries go unnoticed, seeing as there are always individual birthday parties for players and villagers, so that’s something players can probably count on. But, it would still be nice if Nintendo chose to celebrate the actual game’s anniversary, especially after the year everyone has had and the huge difference it made at the start of the pandemic. No announcements have been made other than the Sanrio villagers, available on March 26, but there’s still time to do something big on March 20.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on the Nintendo Switch.

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