Overnight, Nintendo ran a direct presentation for Animal Crossing New Horizons, that showed off a brief refresher on the stuff we already knew, but then kicked it into high gear and showed off so much more. IF you want to watch the direct, you can see it right below here.

Before players step foot on their island, they need to choose the island they want to go to, as well as setting their position on the planet. For those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, we will now have Winter in the game, exactly when Winter happens for us, so no more frozen Christmas.

As the seasons change, events will also take place, themed to those you might see in the real world, which means more content will be continually added to the game.

While we knew about crafting, furning arranging and tenting, thanks to the games showing at E3 and in the September Direct, there is a lot more to discover, check them out in list form.

Life on the Island: Nook Inc. confidently recommends a trip to a remote deserted island. On the island, life is as peaceful and relaxing as it gets. Since the island is deserted, everyone can create a new life from the very beginning. Time flows as naturally as in the real world, including seasons and day and night cycles that mirror real time.
DIY: By collecting specific materials around the island, residents can craft a wide variety of things, including tools and furniture. DIY workshops teach you how to enrich your life by crafting DIY recipes. As you become more familiar with DIY, you can even learn special skills like changing the colour of your DIY furniture or decorating them with custom designs.
NookPhone: Nook Inc. will provide some basic necessities and services, including your very own NookPhone. It has standard apps, like a camera and map, but over time, new applications will be added. The camera can be used to take in-game photos all over the island – even adding fancy filters is possible.
Nook Miles: Players looking for more concrete goals can take advantage of the Nook Mileage program. Fulfilling certain challenges and experiences will earn miles to pay off the cost of the getaway package or, eventually, to exchange for in-game rewards. Rewards range from in-game Nook Inc. merchandise and helpful items that can enrich your time on the island, to tickets usable to visit distant islands.

Party Play: With the Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway package, up to eight people can live on one island.* In Party Play, residents can call up to three other players to explore the island at the same time. Whoever calls the others will be the Leader, making the others the Followers. It’s easy to change out the Leader, letting others quickly take charge. Any creatures or items found by Followers will be stored in a recycle box at the Resident Services building.
Land Development: While crossing rivers on the island is possible by pole-vaulting and climbing elevated land using ladders, you can also change the landscape by adding bridges and slopes. Once your island is fully decked out, you’ll receive a permit to freely pave your own paths, as well as perform major construction like changing the paths of rivers or building and demolishing cliffs.

Island Tours: These “mystery island tours” are at the whim of the pilot, so players never know where they will end up. Once on these smaller islands, feel free to gather as many items – like DIY materials and creatures – as you want and take them back with you to your island.

With so many things to do, you might think that what you see at the start is all there, nope, there is a lot more to come, here are just some of the things to expect

New Residents: When you first land on the island you will only have a few animal residents living there with you. But as you develop your island from the ground up, more neighbours will visit and choose to move in. You can even invite some of the new residents to live there yourself.

Free Updates: Free updates will be added after the game launches, with free seasonal events continually added throughout the year. The first free update will be on launch day, 20th March. By installing this update, you can celebrate Bunny Day with a special event in April.

Additional Facilities: As you grow your island, more facilities will be built. This includes a museum showcasing the rich ecosystem of the island, a shop full of ready-made furniture and goods you can’t craft yourself, a tailor offering clothing and fashion items, and a campsite where you can invite guests for recreational purposes.
Tourists & Events: Your island will not only be home to new residents, but also tourists as well! These temporary visitors are always welcome and can offer up items that cannot be crafted on the island. Visitors can also participate in fun events like Fishing Tourneys and Bug-Offs, which will pop up throughout the year.
amiibo Support: Animal Crossing: New Horizons supports amiibo figures and amiibo cards from the Animal Crossing series. You can also invite these familiar faces to Photopia, an island that exists in the game, where you can place models in creative photo shoots.

The game also offers more customisation options than ever before, from personalising the look of your character all the way down to skin tone, hairstyle and clothing, to placing buildings and items wherever you want on the island. You can even decorate the inside and outside of your home.