Unlike Microsoft, it’s hard to see Nintendo ever bringing its games to PlayStation 5. Someone’s taking advantage of that fact with a store listing for a seemingly fake game that looks an awful lot like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s called Anime Village Online, and that’s probably the most distinct thing about it.
A recently discovered store listing for the game shows what looks like a human Villager from Animal Crossing jumping into the air beneath a blue sky. The description for Anime Village Online reads like a summary of everything the Nintendo franchise is best known for. “Design and expand your own charming house, craft furniture, grow crops, catch fish, and decorate your surroundings to match your personal style,” it reads. “Wander through beautiful forests, rivers, beaches, and hidden paths. Discover resources, meet NPC villagers, and unlock new items and areas as you play.”
Anime Village Online will allegedly feature cross-platform multiplayer and arrive sometime in 2027. Who’s making it? The developer is listed as Wisnu Sudirman. According to a LinkedIn page bearing the same name, that person is a recent graduate who lives in Indonesia. Anime Village Online isn’t their only hustle either. They’re also apparently making a game called Rooted: Survival, with store page art that makes it look like an AI-generated rip-off of The Last of Us.
Sony / Kotaku
“Rooted: Survival is a brutal, atmospheric survival experience set in a world consumed by the aftermath of bacteriological warfare. A century after civilization collapsed, nature has reclaimed the earth—but it didn’t come alone,” reads the description. But my favorite part is the disclaimer: “All referenced game titles, brands, characters, and visual elements are the property of their respective owners. Any similarities are intended purely as homage or satire for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.”
Is this an elaborate troll? Someone making a point about the lack of moderation on the PlayStation Store? After all, this is far from the only AI-looking slop adorning listings seemingly meant to trick casual players just searching for whatever’s popular. Usually, those entries target popular indie games from Steam that lack the resources to police their IP rights on other platforms, not one of the most notoriously litigious companies in gaming and the owner of the platform itself. We’ll see if it actually ends up mattering.
