Animal Crossing: New Horizons owners surprised to find island progress tied to first resident Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Animal Crossing: New Horizons owners surprised to find island progress tied to first resident Leaf it out. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 24 Mar 2020 59 comments By now, it should be common knowledge Animal Crossing: New Horizons only features one island per Nintendo Switch console. Multiple users can each have their own character, but all inhabit the same shared location. This opens up the possibility of seeing your mutual home flourish when you're not around (other users can share the load when it comes to daily chores, for example, or leave messages and gifts for you to come back to). But it also, as players are finding out, results in the situation of the first person who plays - who becomes the game's primary user - then being relied upon to keep the game progressing. Decisions such as where to open and place buildings such as the island's Museum and Nook's Cranny shop are the work of the primary player, or "island representative". That title is bestowed on the first person to play the game - which has led to reddit threads popping up warning players not to let siblings/partners/housemates/pets have a quick go first. Watch on YouTube "This might not seem like a big deal, until your first resident happens to be your kid, who will grow tired of it after a month or two," one Eurogamer reader explained to me in an email. "[It seems like the] only workaround is to restart your whole island." The Animal Crossing franchise has frequently kept to the formula of having a single player act as a settlement's primary resident - the mayor, or campsite manager. With the game's design formed around all players on a single console sharing a singular town, this limitation appears to be Nintendo's workaround. There's plenty to celebrate in New Horizons, however - with players already putting on cosplay shows and finding devious ways to get rich quick. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store