Brazen Animal Crossing Knockoff Just Hit the PlayStation Store — Don’t Expect It to Stick Around

I had to double-take on this one. There is a game called 'Animal Village Online' sitting on the actual PlayStation Store, and it looks so much like Animal Crossing that I briefly wondered if my eyes were trolling me.

So what exactly is on the PS Store right now?

• Title: Animal Village Online
• Platform: Listed on the PlayStation Store as an upcoming game
• Visuals: The only promo image looks indistinguishable from Animal Crossing: New Horizons — same cutesy character style, same cliffs, trees, and flowers, all with that very familiar island vibe
• Gameplay pitch: The description outlines home design, furniture crafting, farming, fishing, decorating, and visiting friends in real time to trade and build together
• Developer credit: Wisnu Sudirman is listed as the developer
• Release timing: 2027, according to the listing

The vibe check

Look, shameless game clones are nothing new. They run the gamut from mildly inspired by to oh come on. This one? Judging by that single image and the write-up, it is about as on-the-nose as it gets.

The image is the first eyebrow-raiser. It does not just evoke New Horizons; it mirrors it down to the background dressing. And the feature list reads like someone copied Animal Crossing homework and changed a couple words for the teacher.

'Design and expand your own charming house, craft furniture, grow crops, catch fish, and decorate your surroundings to match your personal style.'

'Invite friends to visit your village, explore theirs, or hang out together in real time. Help each other gather materials, trade items, and build beautiful spaces.'

Where this goes from here

Paired with a name like 'Animal Village' and that image, you can practically hear Nintendo legal circling the block. Maybe this thing really does plan to launch in 2027 as the listing claims, but I would not put money on it making it that far without a conversation or ten.

I am not saying it is Animal Crossing. I am saying if you showed me that store page out of context, I would assume I was looking at Animal Crossing. And that is one heck of a place to start for a supposed new IP.