Animal Crossing New Horizons' money-making bugs have been squashed

(Image credit: Nintendo)

If your idea of fun is being at the financial mercy of a landlord raccoon, then Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch is really going to push your buttons this week.

A new update is rolling out which is going to slash the spawn rates of creepy crawlies in the game that are worth the most money.

As spotted by data miner @_Ninji (via Polygon), it seems like Nintendo is changing the clock cycles of the spawn rates of the most valuable bugs. Whereas they currently appear in larger numbers at different times of the in-game year, that rate is going to be flattened so they appear in lower numbers more consistently every month of the year.

"Agrias butterfly used to be less common in April than in its other available months. Wharf roach had a higher rate in March," says Ninji. 

"Peacock butterflies have been cut by 80-90%; emperors and atlas moths by 50%. Regular stinkbugs are up 100%, man-faced ones down 50%. Tiger beetles up by 33%, Scarab beetles down 40%. 

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So while the bugs you're after will still appear in the game, you might have to diversify your farming plans throughout the in game year to maximise your money-making schemes. A bit of re-designing of your island to attract what you're after may be in order, too.

Need some more lengthy Switch games to pass the time with? Check out our list of 12 epic Nintendo Switch games.

Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.