Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now successfully crowdfunded.
During my 10 years of covering video games, I have attended plenty of wonderful events. From preview sessions to Publisher Showcases, to attending international events such as the UK’s MCM Comic Con London, Spain’s Gamepolis & Barcelona Games World and Germany’s Gamescom, I’ve been around, but this week, I got to do something entirely different.
On Tuesday, the 21st of October 2025, I had the honour of being invited by Nintendo UK to a special preview event at the Nintendo POP-UP STORE in LONDON, at Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush. Having wished for a decade to pay a visit to the Nintendo NY Store but not yet having had the opportunity to make that wish a reality, for me, this was fantastic news. To finally have the chance to go to an actual Nintendo Store and have it not be too far away from me, even better.
Thus, with the POP-UP STORE in LONDON due to open to the public from Wednesday, the 22nd of October 2025, to Sunday, the 16th of November 2025, I leapt at the chance to attend the preview. So, after one train into London and then two tube trains, after a 90-minute journey, I was there. Outside the big red wall, almost an hour early for my appointment slot.
With time to kill and clear glass windows that I could see through, I felt like Alice in Wonderland, looking in through the looking glass. I peered at all I could see, taking notice of each item on display and the size of the venue. Walking backwards and forward, pacing here and there, I started to feel like a burglar looking to case a bank, but the only crime that would be committed on this day is not spending more than I did.
From plushies to figurines, cutlery, clothing and more, lots of desirable objects were on display, such as Pikmin hoodies and more. Glancing into the store was like glancing into paradise. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, the products on show are a small selection compared to the thousands of products the Big N has available on their online stores, but to see the 100+ products lining the shelves in front of me made for a memorable moment to experience firsthand.
But what could be staring mindlessly without the action to back it up, so when my appointment with fate arrived, and it was time to go in, after a surprise cameo of mascot Mario and Luigi to welcome me in, it was time to enter the mirage and discover its reality. The first thing I noticed upon entering the glass doors was the selection of music playing. Instead of your typical superstore muzak, it was a carefully curated list of video game tracks from the very IPs that had products being sold (Mario, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Pikmin, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda).
It was all part of the charm of the Mushroom Kingdom, and I was all for it. So much so, it was only a small matter of time before I put my camera away, replacing it with two baskets that were immediately filled and replaced by a third. I justified the expense by telling myself I have kids at home, with birthdays and Christmas around the corner, but by the time it came to leave the store and pay for my goodies, Tom Nook did a fantastic effort of draining my bank account, and I was lucky to make it back home safe and sound, in one piece, without a single item going missing. (Carrying two large Nintendo bags on the underground can attract some lingering eyes).
Now, while our story continues with a second visit, let us take a brief pause as I present you with a gallery depicting the many items discoverable at the Nintendo POP-UP STORE in LONDON.
With those lovely images aside, because this story takes place on multiple days, having attended the Nintendo POP-UP STORE in LONDON on the press day, naturally, a second visit was warranted. Sure, spending over £400 is a costly endeavour, but to return to the crime scene where Tom Nook literally took all my Bells, on a day when it’s open to the public, it just had to be done.
So, with the family in tow and already knowing full well another couple of hundred was going to be spent, on Monday, the 27th of October 2025, we made the pilgrimage to Shepherd’s Bush and headed for Westfield. Upon entering the closest entrance, with members of the public now able to enter the store as last week’s ticketed event was now over, we found ourselves having to join a queue system on one side of the Nintendo POP-UP STORE in LONDON, only to then make it to the front of that one, and moved over to a second queue, but much shorter queue, in front of the store itself.
When it was finally our turn to be admitted, we were given no time limit on how long we could linger inside the store and shop to our heart’s content, as long as we respected stock limitations, such as only being able to purchase three Splatoon INK YOU UP B6 Spiral Notebooks (£7.99 and available for purchase online here).
It was refreshing to see all of the shelves perfectly stocked with plenty of supplies for all to purchase, but easily one of the best things the store did during our visit, is having staff hand out a Nintendo Magazine (2025 Special Issue) to those who were in the queue and having a scannable QR code in multiple places, which when scanned, took consumers to a My Nintendo Store webpage, listing the numerous items that could be found in the shop. So, not only could some items still be ordered online, but it’s a great way of preparing yourself for deciding what you want before you go in. This way, when it is your turn, the only bit of thinking required is how many baskets you need and which credit card has the higher limit.
Once you have shopped to your heart’s content, it’s time to queue up for the tills near the exit of the store before ultimately purchasing your goodies and making a swift exit, but once you’re out, you’re out. There is no “I need to go back and grab something quickly” for the time to do that; it’s when you’re inside before heading for the tills, because if you do need to go back in to purchase something else after you have already left, you’ll need to queue up again and start the process.
Still, it needs to be said, it was great seeing how “in demand” the store was. The queue time could have been a lot worse, but for a Monday afternoon, 30 minutes wasn’t a bad wait at all, and it’s great to finally get a Nintendo Store of our own in the UK. It’s just a shame it’s not permanent. But who knows, maybe one day it will actually happen and when it does, it’s a larger store that has more to sell than just Nintendo Tokyo, Mario, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Pikmin, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda products.
