Watch: Detroit Lions Use Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Creatively Reveal Their NFL 2020 Schedule

All 32 teams in the National Football League declared their schedules for the 2020 season recently. Given the current pandemic scenario, it’s unclear how it is going to occur if it happens at all. However, the Detroit Lions revealed their announcement in a rather unique and creative way. The NFL organization took to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to announce its schedule for the 2020 season.

Detroit Lions hopped on the Animal Crossing bandwagon

On May 7, the official Twitter handle for the Detroit Lions posted a nearly 7-minute long video where Tom Nook kicks off the announcement by introducing the team. After that, an in-game avatar dawning the Lions’ gear goes around making references to opponent teams for the announcement.

Some of these included burying a teddy bear, signifying the Chicago Cubs for their season opener, or eating a peach for the game against the Atlanta Falcons. For the Green Bay Packers, the avatar teams up with another Lions avatar and hits a character wearing a Packers jersey with their nets. Also, in a reference to last season’s game against the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, the Lions’ villager opens a present to find a tie.

The video ends with Tom Nook assuring fans that football would be back soon. The Lions’ PR team deserves credit for their creativity. While some of the announcements are pretty straight forward, some are a bit mischievous. Nevertheless, the video is adorable and impressive at the same time.

Custom in-game designs for Detroit Lions fans

After announcing their NFL 2020 season’s schedule, another tweet from the team revealed custom Detroit Lions Design IDs for fans in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The in-game gear includes jerseys for Matthew Stafford, Barry Sanders, and Matt Prater, as well as a Lions cap. Fans can wear these jerseys in-game to show their support for the Lions.

Nintendo has provided players with a cheerful and relaxing game in the form of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Many are using it as a unique way to communicate with friends and family during the pandemic. Famous celebrities like Elijah Wood and T-Pain have also taken to the game, thereby adding to its growing popularity.

The Detroit Lions also published another video on their YouTube channel, revealing their NFL 2020 schedule in a different format. The video is inspired by the Planet Earth documentary series.

Read more about Animal Crossing: New Horizons by clicking here.