This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

Hype levels are through the roof for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Last week’s Direct gave us a ton of new information, and frankly, we’re just plain mad at the universe for it not being 20 March yet.

That said, there’s still the frustrating element of save data recovery hanging over the game. Not enough to spoil the excitement, but just enough to give us a bit of a niggle. During the discussion about recovering save data during the Direct, there was mention of a recovery service available for fans who had lost or damaged their Switches, which was something.

Eagle-eyed viewers spotted a disclaimer down at the bottom of the screen though, which indicated that this upcoming data recovery service would be a one-time deal, available only to Switch Online subscribers.

Bizarrely, there’s been a new version of that Direct uploaded which includes a new disclaimer. It now reads:

“More details on save data recovery functionality will be shared at a future date.”

There’s been a lot of negative press around the save data within New Horizons, with the issue even making it to mainstream media over the weekend. It would seem like Nintendo is starting to take some of that fan feedback on board and make adjustments though.

The official UK web page for the game also suggests that users with multiple Switches will be given a way to transfer save data between systems further down the line, even though the normal means of doing so won’t be available. The disclaimer in question reads:

“This game does not currently support the ability to transfer your save file from one Nintendo Switch console to another. However, a function specific to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to move users and save data to another console is planned for later this year.”

So frankly, it’s anyone’s guess what Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ save data situation will look like when the game finally drops next month. Fingers crossed it will be something a little more amenable to fans.

Let us know your thoughts on the whole debacle down in the comments.

Source: Nintendo Everything, Nintendo