One inspiring Animal Crossing fan creates an entire board game themed after Nintendo’s iconic life simulation franchise.
Highlights
A clever Animal Crossing fan created their own version of Settlers of Catan, showcasing the creative spirit of the fan base.
The fan-made "Villagers of Catan" captures the cozy and colorful aesthetic of Animal Crossing with custom tokens, tiles, and cards.
While there are official Animal Crossing board games, fans are still longing for more options and hope for future collaborations like the ones with LEGO and Hasbro.
One creative fan decides to make their own Animal Crossing-themed version of a Settlers of Catan. The Animal Crossing franchise probably isn't getting a new entry any time soon, but its industrious fan base evidently finds its own way to enjoy and celebrate it by creating in-game and in real life.
There are a couple of official Animal Crossing board games, namely Monopoly and Guess Who?, themed specifically after the latest entry in the series, New Horizons. Still, this is a very limited selection for fans who also have a love for tabletop games. In light of this, it makes sense that someone from the notoriously creative Animal Crossing fan base took it upon themselves to make their own set based off of yet another well-loved board game.
Redditor Justanexcitablegirl has shared pictures of a custom Animal Crossing-themed version of Settlers of Catan, the approachable tabletop strategy game that has sold more than 40 million copies since it released in 1995. There are several variants of Catan, including a Game of Thrones version. Whether Nintendo will ever collaborate with Catan to create official themed versions of the eponymous board game is unknown, but fans can dream by looking at the well-crafted "Villagers of Catan," which even has a custom wooden storage box. Every token, tile, and card has been crafted with loving detail, capturing the coziness of Animal Crossing perfectly. The pieces are cheerfully colorful, with little effort spared on some of the finer details. The characters Tom Nook and Redd have aptly been selected as robbers.
Justanexcitablegirl describes how she enjoys playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Settlers of Catan when spending time with family, and combined the two to create an exciting gift for her sister. It certainly is a unique item among the myriad amazing Animal Crossing fan creations. Another recent example is the crocheted light-up lily of the valley, which appears to be a serviceable table lamp.
Perhaps one day there will be an official Animal Crossing-themed Settlers of Catan. Nintendo does not seem opposed to collaborating with the likes of LEGO and Hasbro to create Animal Crossing LEGO sets and boardgames that feature its characters and IP. This is probably because neither company directly competes with them, resulting in a win-win business venture. "Villagers of Catan" is an impressive piece of functional fan art that gives fans an idea of what that particular collaboration would be like, and potentially inspire some others to create Animal Crossing-themed versions of their favorite tabletop games.
Animal Crossing is a Nintendo-exclusive life sim franchise spread across numerous Nintendo consoles. Featuring anthropomorphic villagers, strong customization, and a real-time day cycle, the Animal Crossing series offer unique and varied gameplay.