Animal Crossing: New Horizons Players Are Getting The Cold Shoulder

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players are accustomed to a variety of behavior from the animals in the endearing and cathartic title. From villagers that annoy players endlessly to ones that add more joy to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience, the range of interactions is fairly diverse. However, with the reactions added by the new Winter update, players are discovering villagers who aren't warm to the idea of relaxing next to them on the ground.

One of the player reactions that the Winter update added was the ability to sit down. The reaction is fairly straightforward and has the potential for some charming screenshots. However, using the ability near villagers can lead to some very sad interactions.

Many took to Reddit to display villagers who would leave the moment they sat down next to them. This includes one Reddit user who scared off Judy when trying to sit next to them under a tree. Another tried to relax next to Bonbon who ran off once the player tried to sit down next to them.

Polygon writer Nicole Carpenter experienced similar occurrences with multiple villagers, concluding that the villagers were merely giving her the cold shoulder. Although, theories aside, there's no clarity on why villagers are quick to make an exit once the player tries to give them company.

Along with the new reactions, the Winter update brings a host of other new content to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In addition to new reactions such as sitting down, there will be holiday events for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Further, the update has added new redemption and seasonal items. Plus, players can now transfer save data between Nintendo Switch consoles.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons' continued updates speaks to the game's maintained popularity. The Nintendo Switch hit came out at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and became a source of relief for many gamers at the time. This was seen in the game's sales, which totaled 22.4 million copies by the end of June. In fact, the game became so popular that an island was created for President-elect Joe Biden.

Although the game was helpful for many going through the pandemic, the game is also one of the Switch's standout titles. With an aggregate score of 90 on Metacritic, Animal Crossing: New Horizons received a Game of the Year award nomination from the Game Awards 2020, going up against the likes of Doom Eternal, The Last of Us Part 2, and Ghost of Tsushima.