Highlights

  • Tom Nook's character should be further developed in the next Animal Crossing game, expanding on his comically exaggerated businessman persona.
  • In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Tom Nook's economic empire has reached near-totalitarianism, with his company being a linchpin for all the island's activities.
  • The next Animal Crossing game could make Tom Nook even more powerful, turning Nook Inc. into an international corporate entity with a sprawling real estate portfolio and a potentially unethical reputation.

Whatever direction Tom Nook takes in the next Animal Crossing game, he can't be reduced to corrupt lender status—not after his escalation in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Whatever happens in a future Animal Crossing game, Tom Nook ought to be further developed, with the franchise doubling down on his comically exaggerated businessman persona.

Animal Crossing's Tom Nook has long drawn the ire of players, with many considering him to be a greedy, opportunistic capitalist preying upon the economically disadvantaged. From a game design perspective, Nook provides players with the incentive to grow their wealth, as he controls a number of in-universe enterprises. Historically, these enterprises have been focused on the real estate and furniture markets, but New Horizons took Nook's business endeavors to the next level, having him essentially run a remote island, operate a travel agency, and launch a feature-complete mobile app for his company's rewards program.

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Why Tom Nook Can't Be Reeled In For the Next Animal Crossing

It's logical to expect the next Animal Crossing to expand the series' features, offering new gameplay, roleplaying, and cooperative multiplayer experiences. This is only natural when it comes to franchise-building, but the same philosophy should apply to the game's handling of Tom Nook, as it would feel like a step backward to return him to the rank of 'evil landlord'.

Tom Nook Has Achieved Near-Totalitarianism in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Nook's economic empire is bigger than ever in New Horizons. Much of this is due to the fact that, unlike previous games in the series, New Horizons is set on a desert island. This location is at once ripe for development and far away from any sort of governing entity that would foil the businessman's attempts at monopolizing. Tom Nook's life is his business, and this is reflected in just how much power he has, with his company basically serving as a linchpin for all the goings-on of the island.

Tom Nook even approves the player's changes to the topography of the island, without the need for any permits or adherence to regulations.

With this in mind, it would be difficult to justify a significant decrease in Nook's power or influence for the next Animal Crossing game. After all, there's little reason for him to abandon the power he achieved in New Horizons, and his empire doesn't appear to be under any real threat from internal or external forces. If the next Animal Crossing is just a sequel to New Horizons, then Nook could simply continue on as usual, but there are ways for his role to be even further developed in a more typical Animal Crossing follow-up.

How the Next Animal Crossing Can Make Tom Nook Even More Powerful

The Nook family has taken their operation global in New Horizons, with a travel agency, impressively developed app, and a sprawling real estate portfolio. The natural progression of this would be for Nook Inc. to simply become an international corporate entity, taking the over-the-top business to its fullest conclusion. Perhaps Nook Inc. could be something of an Amazon-like corporation, with vehicles and buildings stamped with Nook logos, and large swaths of the populace in its employ. It could even be explicitly unethical, like the Joja Corporation in Stardew Valley. Either way, committing to the global scale of Nook Inc. has a lot of potential.

Making Tom Nook nothing but a landlord in the next Animal Crossing could feel a bit weird, as it would halt the momentum of the character following his appearance in New Horizons. It might be more interesting to keep growing his power and influence until it topples under its own weight. Then, a future Animal Crossing could feature him rebuilding his company from scratch.