Plenty of exciting new content is being added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the 2.0 update coming on November 5. Today's Animal Crossing Direct showcased exactly what fans can expect to see on their islands once the update goes live, but it also surprisingly debunked a popular theory about one of the series' fan-favorite characters. Despite rumors that he had tragically died between entries, Nintendo confirmed that Tortimer is actually still alive by showing him briefly in the footage of the upcoming content.
Tortimer, like other characters such as Tom Nook, Mabel, and Sabel, has appeared in every mainline Animal Crossing game released. He's a mischievous character with an eye for fun that serves as the mayor of every town that the player moves in to in each game barring for Animal Crossing: New Leaf. He was notably absent from Animal Crossing: New Horizons which was odd given his reoccurring role in the series. This, among other reasons, led fans to believe that he had passed away before the start of 2020's most popular Switch title.
Tortimer's Tragic 'Death' in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
All in all, there isn't much concrete evidence suggesting Tortimer had died before New Horizons. It was odd that he wasn't included in the game's marketing and eventual release, especially since he had been such an important character in every other game in the series. However, there were plenty of other characters who also weren't included in the game that weren't rumored to be dead. Popular Animal Crossing characters like Resetti, Brewster, and Wendell didn't make the cut, but most fans assumed that they were either off doing other things or coming to the game in a subsequent update. Tortimer, on the other hand, was rumored to be dead for two key reasons.
After retiring from his role as the mayor in the Animal Crossing series, Tortimer took to the island life in New Leaf and ran all sorts of minigames for the player to participate in. He lost his suit and top hat in favor of Hawaiian shirts and a straw hat, so it seemed like he would be the perfect character to be introducing the player to their island getaway in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, when the story trailers for the games released, he was nowhere to be found. When the game finally launched without the tortoise, many assumed that the only place he could be was "beyond," as he was getting old the last time fans had seen him in New Leaf.
This was further aided by the fact that one of New Horizons' trailers featured a tombstone surrounded by flowers that fans believed to be for Tortimer. Once the game was released, it was clear that the grave was simply another item that could be placed on the ground as decoration, but the evidence seemed pretty convincing that this was Nintendo gently passing on the news.
Tortimer is Confirmed to Be Alive
Despite the worry that Nintendo had bleakly ended the life of one of Animal Crossing's fan favorites, it turns out that Tortimer just wasn't featured in the game until now. He was spotted in the latest update trailer on Harv's island, alongside plenty of other reoccurring characters that hadn't previously had big roles in New Horizons.
Looking back, it seems a little bit odd that it was generally accepted that such a gentle series like Animal Crossing would kill one of its characters. Additionally, while Tortimer is certainly getting old, he's a tortoise which, depending on what species he is, can live to be hundreds of years old. At the end of the day, it's certainly good to see him again enjoying retirement while continuing to live the relaxing island life.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for Nintendo Switch.