The GameCube version brought the series to North America, featuring local holidays and the iconic (and aggressive) Mr. Resetti.
It’s a little-known fact that the original concept for Animal Crossing was an where players would use animal companions to navigate dungeons. When the Nintendo 64DD hardware failed, the team pivoted to a "communication game" focused on social simulation.
Released in Japan as Dōbutsu no Mori for the N64, it introduced the real-time clock and seasonal cycles that remain the heart of the series.