Animal Crossing Grandma reacts to character named after her in New Horizons
Audieovisual.
If you think you've already put a fair few hours into Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you probably still have some work to do before you reach the levels achieved by 88-year-old Audrey in New Leaf. Last year she became an internet sensation after her grandson, developer Paul Hubans, shared an image of her 3580 hours of play time (a number which has likely only increased since then). More recently players noticed she had a character named after her in New Horizons called Audie - and now, we finally have a chance to see her reaction.
In a video made by Hubans, Audrey said she "didn't know" for sure if the character was named after her, but agreed it was likely as Audie was the name of her New Leaf mayor. All in all, it seems she felt pretty good about it. "I wanted to tell your mother but I couldn't get her to stay on the phone," she said in response to a question from her grandson.
After players first spotted screenshots of Audie, I asked Hubans about Audrey's reaction to hearing the news, who told me she "seemed pretty amused about it but confused as to why they made her a wolf.
"I told her it might be a reference to Goldilocks where the grandmother is actually a wolf, but I get the feeling it's more of a localisation choice by Nintendo of America employees that wanted to give a nod to gran."
After answering fan questions, later in the video Audrey was presented with a gift from her grandson and fans: which included, of course, a copy of the special Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch along with the game itself. Fans had gotten in touch with Hubans to ask how they could donate - and the combined funds were used to buy the package.
"How do you feel about that?" Hubans asked.
"I don't know, do I play it?" Audrey responded as she opened the gift. "It looks really nice, very cute."
Hubans also filmed the opening moments of Audrey's New Horizons playthrough, in which she customised her character (named Audie, of course) and entered her island for the first time. "Oh, my name can't be Audie if there's [a villager] named Audie," she said, before her grandson reassured her "there can always be two people named Audie".
Audrey said she thinks she'll end up liking it, but will continue playing on New Leaf too - as she needs to check in on her villagers and maintain her flowers. Seems like she's going to be very busy managing both games at once, so can she find the time? "I will, I'll take the time," she added with a smile.