Animal Crossing on mobile may be MIA, but it’s not forgotten

There’s a big Apple event today, and Nintendo fans may want to pay attention. Last year, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto dropped by to show off Super Mario Run, the second of five planned mobile games from the company. We’ve seen Miitomo and Fire Emblem Heroes arrive on smartphones, but one expected Nintendo property remains curiously out of sight: Animal Crossing.

A mobile title based on the Animal Crossing series is set to launch sometime in Nintendo’s current fiscal year, according to an earnings report from January. Animal Crossing for mobile was originally scheduled for a fall 2016 launch before being delayed.

But the company has gone quiet on the title — and, frankly, all of its smartphone games. We’ve seen some updates to Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes maintains a committed user base, but Nintendo has understandably shifted focus toward the Switch.

But we’re nearing the end of 2017, and when Nintendo makes a promise to Animal Crossing fans, you better believe they will hold the company to it. With the annual big-deal Apple presentation set for 1 p.m. ET today — and Miyamoto setting up expectations with his surprise appearance last year — Animal Crossing’s mobile debut is fresh on everyone’s minds.

It doesn’t help that this week’s Nintendo’s Direct presentation, streaming one day after Apple’s phone event, won’t include mobile games. Nintendo Japan’s announcement of the livestream pointedly excludes mobile platforms from its list of what to expect.

At this point, though, Animal Crossing players are desperate for a new game on any platform. Don’t think they haven’t noticed that you haven’t announced an entry for Switch yet, Nintendo.

Tune in at 1 p.m. ET today to see if Animal Crossing on iOS gets any attention, as well as 6 p.m. ET tomorrow for Nintendo Switch and 3DS news.