It goes without saying that 2020 was a year filled with twists and turns with unexpected happenings from left and right. And although the year has finally come to a close and felt like a slog for many, it has largely been considered agood one for the video game industry.
When many found themselves stuck indoors due to COVID-19 related quarantine and lockdown orders, video games provided a promising escape, whether hacking and slashing through demons, or spending hours upon hours developing an island community with animal friends. One positive thing that seemed destined by fate this year was the simultaneous release ofDoom EternalandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonson June 18, 2025, which resulted in an unlikelyfan-ordained friendship between charactersof each game.
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After both games experienced their own delays and were set to release on the same date, fans ofDoom EternalandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonstook it upon themselves to create memes and artwork of the respective series' Doom Slayer and Isabelle as the best of friends. Aside from this fan pairing beingpreviously acknowledged by developers,the officialDoomTwitter account has posted a New Year’s greeting for fans.
On January 1, the officialDOOMTwitter accounted greeted fans with a photo of Isabelle andDoom Slayer Nendoroid figuresdepicted to be holding hands, seemingly frolicking into what could only assume to be the hopeful new year. The photo was accompanied by the message, “happy new horizons,” referencing the title of the most recentAnimal Crossinggame while wishing fans a happy new year. The message has since received over 150k likes on Twitter, with fans happy to see their unlikely duo being referenced replying to the Tweet with their own fan art of the pair.
It goes without saying that theDOOMandAnimal Crossingseries likely could not be more different, but aside from a release date, something else they shared in 2020 was success. It’s worth mentioning that bothDOOM EternalandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswere received incredibly well, with each game receiving anomination for Game of the Yearat this year’s The Game Awards.
Though the unlikely duo has fans clamoring forDoom Slayer to join Isabelle inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,it’s unknown whether the pair will ever appear in any official media together. Regardless, for a year filled with so many obscurities, the bonding of theDoomandAnimal Crossingcommunities not only seems fitting of such a strange year, but also serves as a reminder that fans' love for their favorite games and characters knows no bounds, no matter how different they may be.
