Animal Crossing: New Horizon won’t be released until March, but players looking forward to the game may be sad to hear that it is possible that they will not be able to transfer their save data from one console to another. According to a translation of the back of a German download card for the game, which was posted and translated on a ResetEra forum, players will only be able to have one island per console. The translation specifically states that “Only one Island can be created per console. The transfer of user- and save data between consoles is not supported by this software.”
If this is true, that means that players intending to buy the game will not be able to transfer their save data to another Switch if they buy another Switch, or if their old Switch breaks. The download card also states that “Up to 8 players registered as users on a Nintendo Switch console can live on one shared island, and up to four residents of one island can play simultaneously on one console,” reads the game’s description. This means that up to four players can enjoy and cooperate in the development of the Island all at once. The translation also notes that “only one island can exist per Nintendo Switch console, irrespective of the number of users registered to or copies of the game used on one console. One Nintendo Switch and one copy of the game is required for each unique island.” All of this can be supported by the Nintendo Australian Webpage which states the same thing. This seems to imply that the Island data will be saved on the console and not the cloud, however, this cannot be confirmed at this time. No other information has been revealed at this time, but it is likely that more information will be revealed at a later date.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be releasing for Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020.