Since its release in March, dataminers have been digging through update code for Animal Crossing: New Horizons to see what possibly could be coming to the game. The most mysterious discovery is a reference to several crops, including tomatoes, wheat, sugar cane, potatoes, carrots and pumpkins.
Dataminers first discovered crops in April, though there has been no information from Nintendo regarding the possibly addition. However, now that summer updates have wrapped up and there is a teased fall update on the way, crops may arrive sooner, rather than later. Here are a few ways they might make their way into the game.
Farming
The first idea that comes to mind is gaining the ability to farm. By planting, growing and harvesting crops, players could sell them for cash, as a semi-extension of the Stalk Market economy. Rather than relying on turnips each week, players could plant and harvest lower yield vegetables to sell at Nook’s Cranny for a rotating price. This might not yield millions of Bells, but could still help players sustain themselves without buying from Daisy Mae.
A farming mechanic in New Horizons could make for a remarkably interesting choice, as it would add a lot more to do than the previous updates. Much like Stardew Valley, farming would entail getting seeds, planting, watering, leaving grow time and then harvesting. That turns out to be quite a time investment to get crops on a player's island -- which would be worth it for a solid profit.
The drawback of adding farming this late in the game could be the need for land. Many islands have been meticulously planned and a farm might not fit into the layout or design. So, perhaps the crops found in the code aren't for farming, but for something else.
Cooking
If the numerous cookbooks based on video games and the amount of time spent cooking in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild says anything, it's that gamers like to cook.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons dataminers who dug a little deeper into the data discovered DIY recipes that are actual recipes, for in-game food. So, much like the shells, fruit, weeds and other items scattered around the island that are used to make furniture, vegetable crops could be used to make dinner. Collecting and trading DIY recipes for different meals could also keep completionists busy.
Animal Crossing could easily add vegetables for cooking simply by having them sprout up around the island like weeds. As vegetables are dug up and collected, they can then be turned into meals based on the list of DIY recipes previously collected. This could give the residents the ability to sell or even hand-deliver tasty meals around the island.
Why Not Both?
Ideally, both these ideas will work together. The idea of growing crops just to grow crops seems a lot like the turnips, which many island owners have given up on once they reached multi-Bellionaire status. Likewise, buying or finding vegetables for DIYs to make food does not seem like the kind of activity that can keep daily players engaged. So, a mixture of growing crops to make recipes does seem like the most interesting idea.
When can the Animal Crossing community expect vegetables and crops? There has been talk of the data since April and it seems as if there is no rush for them to arrive. The most realistic time frame is likely a fall update. A late September, early October release would be ideal to keep the Animal Crossing community coming back through the autumn months. That timeframe also leaves plenty of farming or cooking time before the holiday updates.