Working on an island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is tough but it’s honest and rewarding work! That being said, some players have found that their drive for perfection means the right blend of villagers, which has caused many to buy, and sell, over on the Black Market. Nintendo said ‘not today’ and has revealed plans on how they plan on cracking down on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Black Market.
For those that may be unaware regarding the appeal of controlling which villagers come stay for good in these customizable islands, there are many returning characters from previous games in the Animal Crossing franchise. Long-time players have their favorites that they’d love to interact with daily, while others just don’t like the hand they’ve been dealt. The Black Market allows for gamers to purchase the villagers they want with real cash, and that’s a practice that Nintendo is not OK with.
First spotted over on J-Cast, it was made aware that Nintendo has declared the use of “trafficking” villagers as a violation of the terms of use. In the blast sent out by the company, Nintendo mentioned that the Real Money Trading (RMT) will not be tolerated with in-game features. Since J-Cast is in Japanese, we used just a simple Google translator, so if the specific actions being taken were listed, they weren’t clearly translated. We’ve reached out to Nintendo for clarification on what the “penalty” referenced actually means.
Some characters, like Dom, were being sold for 50 bucks hard cash, which for the target demographic for New Horizons, is a lot of money. What manner of action to be taken by Nintendo remains to be seen, though some of the terms outlined by J-Cast imply that legal action will be the first step.
Related: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Has Lost Its Magic For Me, Why Do I Feel Guilty?
At the time this article was written, Nintendo has not yet made an official announcement regarding the Black Market and their corrective intentions. For those that are currently using the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Black Market, be aware; Nintendo has a pretty hefty spotlight on it currently.
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As for the game itself, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch! We’ve got hundreds (and we do mean hundreds) of guides out there for this particular game, including all you need to know about Summer solstice and the recent wedding event! To learn more, check out our game hub here!
