Why Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer?

Why did Nintendo stray away from the Animal Crossing series with Happy Home Designer?

In the latest issue of Nintendo Dream, the game's producers Hisashi Nogami and Aya Kyogoku were quizzed about why the team decided to focus on interior decorating, rather than opt for another main-series title on Wii U.

Given how popular the Nintendo 3DS entry, New Leaf, has proven to be on a global scale, it was decided to expand on that to create a spin-off title for "customers that have enjoyed that game," recalled Nogami.

Kyogoku continued, and said that Nintendo "wanted players to enjoy the usual gameplay of Animal Crossing and this new game side by side" and how the group ran the risk of the concept becoming a flop if it ended up too different.

However, one of the most popular "elements of Animal Crossing is 'house creation' and 'arranging furniture', so we decided to focus on that and we started development," concluded Nogami.

It's not just the fans that enjoy a spot of decorating, as Kyogoku revealed how the houses where villagers live are created towards the end of development in a typical Animal Crossing lifecycle, and how the team also enjoy this particular aspect of the games.

Are you a fan of the ol' decorating in Animal Crossing?