Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp gets loot boxes because nothing is sacred

Six months after its release, Nintendo has added loot crates (also known as loot boxes) to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. These have been given the moniker Fortune Cookies, and arrive in premium and standard versions offering exclusive items.

The news arrives via Eurogamer, which notes that the premium Cookies can include time-limited sets of new furniture and clothing, as well as “larger props which unlock special story scenes with your animal friends.” The current set is available for two months before users will no longer have access to it.

The standard Fortune Cookies, meanwhile, contain a separate group of less interesting items.

Loot crates are digital boxes that contain a random collection of in-game items. They have been an increasingly employed method of video game monetization in recent years — in free-to-play and premium games alike — but have been a controversial addition thanks to their cost and links to gambling.

The free-to-play title already includes in-app purchases for the game’s premium currency, Leaf Tickets. These can be exchanged for certain in-game benefits like items that speed up wait times, or increasing the number of items you can craft simultaneously.

Eurogamer says that a new maximum in-app purchase has been added alongside the loot boxes — £75 (~$107) for 2,500 Leaf Tickets. The premium Fortune Cookies can be acquired for 50 Leaf Tickets each.

The Animal Crossing series has seen a number of titles across handheld and consoles alike. It struck a chord with fans due to its gentle gameplay and quirky characters, but also thanks to its real-time events and encouragement of hoarding and accessorizing.

It was inevitable that in-app purchases and loot boxes would find their way into the mobile version, but it no doubt frustrates fans when items that would, in previous titles, have been acquired through the game’s mechanics now have to be paid for.