The Musicians of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Unite for a Digital Performance

Ask a group of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players what their favorite piece of music from the game is, and you'll probably get different answers from each. Maybe someone stans Bubblegum K.K. above all else, or perhaps they've got a favorite hourly music track. The little-used theme song might not get as much love (you're probably too wrapped up in island life to hear it much), but this new performance of it may win over some listeners.

Posted to YouTube and Twitter via the official Animal Crossing account, this video of the New Horizons theme tune unites five of the musicians behind the original recording for a special, digitally connected performance. Each performer is recording their parts from what appear to be their home studios, given the stay-at-home orders still in place around the world because of the pandemic. Percussion player MATARO actually has to record a few tracks of himself to provide the beat.

This rendition of the song is as pleasant and chill as ever, and really, that's all there is to it. This doesn't accompany announcement of more Animal Crossing content (though more is coming) or come with pitch to buy the game (not that Nintendo exactly needs to advertise the smash hit). It's just a neat performance and a little celebration of the people who worked to make New Horizons' music as good as it is.

Given that so many people have been using New Horizons to socialize, even leading to a talk show with real celebrities in it, maybe there's a bit of a missed opportunity here to show us the musicians jamming together in Animal Crossing. Then again, there are plenty of Animal Crossing other songs—over 90 from K.K. alone—that they could perform some other time.

For more on Animal Crossing: New Horizons, be sure to keep an eye on our guides section to stay up-to-date on the latest events and tips on filling out your various in-game collections. Or, if this theme tune performance is a little too sweet for your taste, maybe Guides Writer Joel Franey's recent op-ed on how fun it is to be evil in New Horizons will be more your speed.