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Writer's pictureStephanie

The Writer of Animal Crossing's Infamous 'Sea Bass' Line Reveals the Original Joke

Writers are arguably one of the most important roles when it comes to making a game feel alive and memorable. But when tasked with writing a one-liner that's doomed to be repeatedly for all eternity (as long as someone is still playing the game), things can get real old, real fast.


In a Twitter thread posted yesterday, Rob Heiret takes responsibility for the infamous Sea Bass joke. You know which one it is:

In terms of Animal Crossing jokes, it isn't really a standout - to be fair, the game is loaded with dad jokes that'll make you groan affectionately at times. Most players just love to hate the quip only because they hate the Sea Bass itself (along with its ridiculous abundance and depressing low resell price.)


Apart from admitting that he's also tired of the joke, Heiret reveals that the original line was meant to be: "I caught a sea bass! Well...maybe a C- bass..."

Truth be told, the original line would have more adequately encapsulated our feelings of failure after capturing yet another one of these pesky fishes instead of a rarer, more valuable prize that a giant silhouette generally indicates.


However, it was rewritten for a surprisingly thoughtful reason:

Heiret also noted that the homo-phonic ("C" vs "Sea") joke would probably work better verbally, and less so in print.


However, the developers stuck to their vision of creating the most welcoming and positive environment possible, so the infamous "C+ Sea Bass" joke was published and subsequently immortalised in one of the best-selling games in the Nintendo Switch lineup.

So there you have, a short backstory on how a C- turned into a C+. The rest of the thread is also goldmine of insights from the Animal Crossing writer, and is certainly worth a read if you're a fan or an aspiring game developer.



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