The latest iteration in the nostalgicPikminpuzzle and strategy series,Pikmin 4, has supposedly been in development for some time now. Speculation from fans has led them to believe it may be on the horizon, in part because of the recent additions todecade-old franchises such asMetroid Dread,Animal Crossing,andWarioWare.Updates to these franchises signify Nintendo’s desire and ability to revisit older games, so there shouldn’t be any reason not to come back to its adorable little astronaut game.
Pikmin 4is unique, however, in that the only news about its existence has come from the sequence creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, rather than from the company itself. Miyamoto was quoted as saying in 2015 thatPikmin 4was “close to completion.” Seven years later, unfortunately, the game has not been released nor have there been any real updates on its progress. Many people speculated thatHey! Pikmin, a 2D action puzzle game, developed by Arzest for the Nintendo 3DS/Nintendo 2DS XL, was the game that Miyamoto was referring to, especially because it was marketed as a sequel toPikmin 3. Following its release in July 2017, Miyamoto assuaged people’s concerns, which may suggest thatPikmin 4will make an overdue debut in the coming years.
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Nintendo Has Not Forgotten Pikmin
Nearly a decade has passed without any freshPikmintitles, excludingNiantic’s 2021 augmented reality mobile game,Pikmin Bloom, so having a graphically improved version to play could be extremely beneficial for Nintendo. Many of its original fans grew up playing the firstPikminon GameCube, followed by the Wii and Wii U, and would likely be ecstatic to help cute and quirky characters such as Captain Olimar and Louie once more.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe, an enhanced port ofPikmin 3tailored toward the Nintendo Switch, was released in 2020. While there were various alterations from the original game, it could hardly be called new content. Still, its very existence along with the AR game, proves that Nintendo has not forgotten about the franchise. WhilePikmingames are certainly not outperforming its big headliners such asThe Legend of ZeldaorSuper Marioin terms of sales, they aren’t falling under the radar either.Pikmin 3 Deluxeperformed well, with 2.04 million units being sold by March 2021, despite being a rehash of the original. Additionally, Nintendo doesn’t report its digital sales, so it could have done that much better on the eShop.
Delivering a fresh storyline could be exactly what is needed to bring back the community in full force. Reportedly, development forPikmin 4has been on and off again, which may explain why the game didn’t come out shortly after Miyamoto said it was nearly finished. It was likely put on the back burner, or even scrapped sometime during 2015 to make room for other games. Allegedly, the developers began work on the game once more in 2019, though this rumor came from word of mouth by YouTubers and is not confirmed. Still,it is unlikely thatPikmin 4was canceled, but rather that a different direction was taken, and therefore it will take longer to finish. That is what happened toMetroid Prime 4, after all.
Now is the Perfect Time to Release Pikmin 4
Timing is everything in marketing, and 2022 or 2023 may be that perfect moment that Nintendo has been waiting for. The Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite have at least a few more years of shelf life left in them. Bringing a newPikminto these beloved handheld consoles would make sense for the company, though others are theorizing thatPikmin 4is being saved fora rumored Nintendo Switch Prothat could be released in the next few years.
Following Nintendo’s regular schedule of releasingPikmingames, it seems that the gaps between them usually last anywhere from three to just under a decade.Pikmin 3didn’t come out until nine years afterPikmin 2,which puts fans at a plausible due date of 2023. Thesuccess of games likeKirby and the Forgotten Landshould put a cute and fun game likePikmin 4at the top of Nintendo’s to-do list.
Pikmin 4is rumored to be in development.
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