Editing Animal Crossing (video game) (section)

==Development and release==
The game was developed by [[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development|Nintendo EAD]] with an inexperienced team led by [[Katsuya Eguchi]], [[Hisashi Nogami]], and [[Super Mario]] co-creator [[Takashi Tezuka]], most of whom had regrouped after the release of ''[[Yoshi’s Story]]'' in 1997. The [[64DD]] peripheral served as an [[enabling technology]] platform for the conception and development of the game, with its [[real-time clock]] and {{nowrap|64MB}} [[floppy disk]] for writable mass storage.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/inside-story-animal-crossing/|title=The Inside Story of Animal Crossing|date=August 29, 2008|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=[[Future plc]]|access-date=October 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017234121/http://www.edge-online.com/features/inside-story-animal-crossing/|archive-date=October 17, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to 64DD's extended delays and cancellation, the game's development was moved to the [[Nintendo 64 Game Pak|Game Pak]] cartridge medium{{mdash}}the only Game Pak containing a real-time clock{{mdash}}plus a [[Controller Pak]] for saving progress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=135&view=dev|title=Development summary|publisher=N-sider|access-date=October 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017202452/http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=135&view=dev|archive-date=October 17, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Kazumi Totaka]] served as the game's sound director.<ref name="credits">{{cite video game|title=Animal Crossing |developer=Nintendo Co., Ltd. |publisher=Nintendo of America, Inc. |date=September 15, 2002 |platform=GameCube}}</ref> Kenta Nagata composed background music for the fields, [[Toru Minegishi]] for the indoor areas and Shinobu Tanaka for the events.<ref name="credits" /> The game was shown at [[Nintendo Space World]] 2000 and contained playable versions of ''Balloon Fight'', ''Ice Climber'', ''Clu Clu Land'', and ''Donkey Kong''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/20000825/nintendo.htm|title=NINTENDO SPACEWORLD 2000開幕|publisher=PC Watch|date=2000-08-25|accessdate=2024-07-16}}</ref> It was originally released as ''Dōbutsu no Mori'' (lit. "Animal Forest") on the Nintendo 64 in Japan in April 2001. It is the last game Nintendo released for the Nintendo 64, and third to last game released for the system in Japan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Developing Animal Crossing |url=https://www.crossingdesigns.com/ |website=Crossing Designs |access-date=27 July 2020 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116151550/https://www.crossingdesigns.com/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

The game was ported to the [[GameCube]] as ''Dōbutsu no Mori+'', released on December 14, 2001, in Japan, eight months after the original game.<ref name="gba cable" /> This version contains extra features that were originally left out of the Nintendo 64 version, and uses the GameCube's built-in clock. This led to the game's slogan, "the real life game that's playing, even when you're not". ''Dōbutsu no Mori+'' cost {{JPY|7,140}} with 92,568 copies sold during its first week in Japan.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

When Nintendo began localizing ''Dōbutsu no Mori+'' for release in North America as ''Animal Crossing'', the game underwent an immense translation project, which resulted in much more text than the Japanese version. Not only did thousands of lines of text have to be translated, but translators Nate Bihldorff and Rich Amtower<ref name="credits" /> had to create new holidays and items to be relatable outside of Japan. The translation process took six months total, which at the time was Nintendo of America's largest translation project to date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=135&view=dev|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014175733/http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=135&view=dev|title=Development Summary|publisher=N-Sider|url-status=dead|archivedate=October 14, 2007|accessdate=April 29, 2007}}</ref> It was released in North America on September 16, 2002,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=2002-08-16 |title=The Animal Crossing Connection |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/08/16/the-animal-crossing-connection |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref> in Australia on September 15, 2003,<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 15, 2003 |title=''Animal Crossing'' - Out Now! |url=http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo/news/index.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031202222005/http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo/news/index.php |archive-date=December 2, 2003 |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=[[Nintendo|Nintendo Australia]]}}</ref> and in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Animal Crossing'' |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/games/animal-crossing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910213025/https://www.eurogamer.net/games/animal-crossing |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=[[Eurogamer]]}}</ref> Nintendo's Japanese leadership was so impressed with the work done by Nintendo of America's Treehouse division that they added the American content back into the Japanese version and released it as {{nihongo foot|'''''Dōbutsu no Mori e+''''',|どうぶつの森e+||lit. ''Animal Forest e+''|group=lower-alpha}} along with more new content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/11/13/the-evolution-of-animal-crossing-2?page=2 |title=The Evolution of Animal Crossing |publisher=IGN |date=November 12, 2008 |access-date=May 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106230538/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/11/13/the-evolution-of-animal-crossing-2?page=2 |archive-date=January 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was released in Japan on June 27, 2003, with 91,658 copies sold during its first week.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-05-23 |title=Gaming Life in Japan |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/23/gaming-life-in-japan-203 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=135 |title=Animal Crossing |publisher=N-Sider.com |access-date=November 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002222334/http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=135 |archive-date=October 2, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>