Last year, DOOM Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons both released on the same day, March 20. Inspired by this small connection, fans of the two franchises began sharing art online about a friendship between Animal Crossing’s Isabelle and the Doom Slayer. Both Bethesda and Nintendo know about this fan art and have even encouraged it! To celebrate the start of 2021, Bethesda made things a little more official by sharing an image of the Nendoroid figures for Doom Slayer and Isabelle happily playing together, alongside the caption ‘happy new horizons’. It’s a cheerful way to ring in the new year, and fans of the friendship were quite happy!
Bethesda’s Tweet can be found below. The same image and message was also shared by the official DOOM Twitter account.
happy new horizons pic.twitter.com/bnj8keI3l0
– Bethesda (@bethesda) January 1, 2021
It will be interesting to see if the friendship between Doom Slayer and Isabelle is ever recognized in a real game. While it would be a lot cool in a DOOM or Animal Crossing game, there is one place it could work: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Doom Slayer has long been rumored for the game, and it seems even more likely after Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda. The publisher already has two fighters in the game, and companies like Capcom, Konami, and Square Enix all have three representatives, so it wouldn’t be out of reach. Featuring Isabelle as a playable character Ultimate, it’s not hard to imagine how many fans would love to see the pair actually appear together!
For now, the friendship between Isabelle and Doom Slayer will just have to live on through these little recognitions between the two companies, and through the fan art that made it a thing in the first place. There’s something to be said about the way fans made this connection between the two franchises, and how it went from a simple joke nearly a year ago to a recurring connection between the two companies. Even if it never comes out again, it’s nice to see the impact fans can have on gaming!
Are you a fan of the crossover art of the two franchises? Would you like to see Doom Slayer and Isabelle appear together in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter @Marcdachamp to talk about gaming!