Blatant Animal Crossing Copy Appears on PlayStation Store

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Summary

  • An upcoming PlayStation game called Anime Life Sim recently garnered attention for looking like a blatant Animal Crossing clone.
  • The game seems to rip off the latest entry in Nintendo’s series, New Horizons.
  • Aside from having identical visuals, Anime Life Sim seems to feature a gameplay loop that’s the same as that of ACNH.

A fresh indie game that just appeared on the PlayStation Store is causing quite a stir due to its striking resemblance to the popular Animal Crossing series. More specifically, this forthcoming game appears to be a near-identical copy of “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”.

Over time, the Animal Crossing series by Nintendo has served as a source of inspiration for numerous other games. Some of these spin-offs have primarily absorbed broader concepts, while others have chosen to incorporate specific features more explicitly from the original franchise.

Games that strive to directly mimic the franchise are less common, but they do exist. For instance, “Anime Life Sim“, a forthcoming indie game, was recently listed on the PlayStation Store and quickly caught people’s eyes due to its striking resemblance to “Animal Crossing: New Horizons“. The game is being developed and published by IndieGames3000, a studio that already has numerous games across different genres under its belt.

Anime Life Sim’s PS Store Page Basically Describes Animal Crossing

The resemblance between “Anime Life Sim” and “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” (ACNH) goes beyond just their visuals, as both games offer more than mere aesthetic similarities. On the PlayStation Store, “Anime Life Sim” is described as offering a “charming social simulation,” where players can create and customize a home, make friends with animal neighbors, participate in daily activities such as fishing, bug catching, gardening, crafting items, and fossil hunting – all of which are also integral parts of the gameplay in ACNH.

Game Rules Aren’t Patentable, But Copying Visuals Can Spell Trouble

In a conversation with Game Rant, patent expert Florian Mueller clarified that game rules are universally considered unpatentable. Consequently, anyone can theoretically replicate games like “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” without legal repercussions. However, when it comes to visual aspects such as art style, character design, and certain graphical elements, these may be protected under copyright law in numerous regions. If Nintendo were to try and prevent the release of a game similar to “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” like “Anime Life Sim,” they might focus on the visual similarities between the two titles as a potential infringement of copyright law.

Nintendo has historically been known for taking legal action against other game companies, but it remains uncertain if they are planning to pursue “Anime Life Sim” if the project is indeed noticed by them. For now, the game, which looks similar to others, is scheduled for release in February 2026. The PlayStation Store entry for the game does not specify whether it will be released on both PS4 and PS5 platforms.

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2025-01-13 11:53