Animal Crossing’s new name in China is “Macho Man Picking Up Tree Branches”

Chinese players adopt a new code name to sell virtual services and in-game items on ecommerce platforms, where the official game is banned

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Nintendo’s family-friendly simulation game lets players maintain their virtual island and visit their friends’ islands. (Picture: Nintendo)

Xinmei Shen

Published: 5:00am, 22 Apr 2020Updated: 5:23am, 22 Apr 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

When you think about Nintendo’s adorable new simulation game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a muscular man probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But that’s how Chinese gamers have been referring to it recently.

Nintenodo’s latest game in the popular Animal Crossing franchise has been disappearing from online platforms, including ecommerce and video sites, without any official reason. To get around the censorship, vendors and players started using code names to refer to the game on shopping sites and social media platforms. One of the more popular names is “Macho Man Picking Up Tree Branches”.

Vendors on Alibaba sites Taobao and Xianyu, a used goods platform, have been using the Macho Man name to sell in-game items. Some creative sellers even offer paid services to help players tend their virtual gardens and islands, removing weed and watering plants. (Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.)

The code name has become so popular that people are even using it on microblogging site Weibo, where discussions about Animal Crossing aren’t even banned. A hashtag that includes the game’s actual name has more than 490 million views.

A search for Animal Crossing generates no result on Alibaba’s Xianyu, but in-game services can be found if you search for “Macho Man Housekeeping.” (Picture: Xianyu)

While people have been left to speculate about Animal Crossing’s disappearance from China’s internet, some gamers blame the wave of protest art made by Hong Kong gamers. Others think it has more to do with China’s strict controls on games.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t officially available in China, where Chinese authorities have only approved three Nintendo Switch games for sale. That means all the game cards people have been buying online have been brought in from other countries by scalpers looking to profit off the game’s immense popularity.