A fresh indie game that just appeared on the PlayStation Store has caught attention for resembling Animal Crossing quite a bit. In particular, this new title seems to mirror the style of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The Animal Crossing series has influenced a variety of games throughout the years. Some of these titles have drawn broad lessons from Nintendo’s beloved franchise, while others have chosen to incorporate specific elements more directly.
While it’s uncommon to find games that directly mimic the franchise, they do pop up from time to time. A notable example is Anime Life Sim, an indie game that just appeared on the PlayStation Store and quickly caught the eye of many for its striking resemblance to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This project is being developed and published by IndieGames3000, a studio known for its extensive portfolio of titles across different genres.
Anime Life Sim’s PS Store Page Basically Describes Animal Crossing
The connections between Anime Life Sim and ACNH go beyond just their visuals. The description of Anime Life Sim on the PS Store captures the essence of Nintendo’s 2020 Switch hit, highlighting a “charming social simulation” where players can create and personalize their homes, make friends with animal neighbors, and engage in daily tasks such as fishing, bug catching, gardening, crafting, and fossil hunting. All of these activities are also key features in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Game Rules Aren’t Patentable, But Copying Visuals Can Spell Trouble
According to Florian Mueller, a seasoned patent analyst, game rules cannot be patented anywhere globally, as he recently shared with Game Rant. This means that anyone can legally replicate any game, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, the situation becomes more complicated regarding visuals, since aspects like art style, character design, and certain graphical features can be protected by copyright in various regions. Thus, if Nintendo decided to take action against Anime Life Sim to stop its release, it would likely concentrate on the visual similarities to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Nintendo has built a reputation for being quite litigious among gaming companies. However, it remains uncertain if the company is genuinely contemplating action against Anime Life Sim, assuming they are even aware of the project. For now, this life simulation game is set to launch in February 2026, but its PS Store page does not specify if it will be available on PS4 as well as PS5.