Nintendo is at it again
An interview with Animal Crossing: New Horizons producer Higashi Nogami has revealed that the upcoming Nintendo Switch game won’t support cloud save backups.
While 3DS games, like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, can save data to a game’s physical cartridge, the Nintendo Switch only stores save data in the systems internal memory. This includes physical Nintendo Switch games and games stored on a microSD card.
Even if the console is repaired by Nintendo there’s a very high chance that save data will not be recovered. A AU$29.95 a year Nintendo Switch Online subscription can help with most games via a cloud save backup feature, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest game to not support the feature.
Splatoon 2 and Pokémon: Let’s Go also lack support, due to Nintendo’s fears of save data hacking. And while theoretically you could use the cloud save backup feature to cheat in Animal Crossing, the lack of support means you’re more likely to just lose your town and progress altogether through no fault of your own.
Many other modern multiplayer games, such as Destiny 2 and Fortnite, now save user progress to game servers, meaning players can switch between consoles, and in the case of Fortnite, even login to a competing device and retain progress. But Nintendo’s backwards approach means every user risks losing years of game progress, all because of a very small percentage of users playing on modified hardware that could allow you to, for example, modify your in-game inventory.
Ironically, a user might turn to hacking to simply backup their game save, as third party tools banned by Nintendo have allowed for on any modified 3DS.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches March 20, 2020.
Gloss 