The Unexpected Friendship Between Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal
The launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal on the same day was like a gift to the internet, as the opposites found a strange and wonderful friendship. Despite the brutal, bloody violence of id Software’s FPS, and the sleepy and relaxing life sim of Nintendo, the opposing tones made for an unlikely and wonderful pairing, and gave rise to some of the best gaming memes of 2023 – and that’s no bull.
There was something strangely entertaining about seeing the charming Isabelle from Animal Crossing and the Doom Slayer from Doom Eternal hanging out, or fishing together, or demon hunting. In a way, it felt like a celebration of the diversity and breadth of video games – that two games appealing to such separate audiences could be embraced by the same group.
It also felt like a nod to online discourse, too, which has become more nuanced around games in recent years. While there is still an appetite for “this versus that” debates, and certainly a place for them, there’s also a greater understanding that different types of games can coexist and be celebrated.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal launching on the same day was a success for the gaming industry as a whole, and not just Nintendo and id Software. It showed that gamers are willing to embrace different types of games, and that the industry can support different types of games existing together.
The success of Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal launching on the same day also paved the way for the Barbie and Oppenheimer meme, inspired by the films Barbie and Oppenheimer. But that’s another story.
In any case, the Barbenheimer meme – or any similar ones inspired by the association of opposites – shows the fun in bringing together seemingly disparate elements. If you think about it, the association of opposites shouldn’t be criticized, but embraced. After all, audiences are now mature enough to appreciate and enjoy media that couldn’t be more different.
Or, to put it another way: doggone it, Barbenheimer is great.
If you want to see what else is coming up for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, or perhaps take a look at the other games coming in 2023, we have you covered.
