The Pikmin sequence has at all times been a fan favorite, however regardless of nice evaluation scores throughout all three mainline video games, the sequence has by no means had extremely excessive gross sales. Consequently, Pikmin 4 has at all times remained within the stability as Nintendo weighs up whether or not the sequence is price persevering with.
The sequence creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, was quoted again in 2015 saying that Pikmin 4 was “very near completion”, main followers to imagine a brand new recreation was coming quickly. There’s hypothesis that Miyamoto was really referring to Hey! Pikmin, a launch title for the New Nintendo 2DS XL which launched again in 2017. When requested two years later concerning the improvement of Pikmin 4, Miyamoto responded with this: “I’ve been instructed to not share something about this from PR, however I can let you know it’s progressing.”
Since 2017, we haven’t heard something about Pikmin 4, although there’s a glimmer of hope for followers. Pikmin 3 Deluxe, an enhanced port of the Wii U model, launched on the Nintendo Swap in 2020. Contemplating the sport offered reasonably effectively, this could possibly be a deciding issue on whether or not Nintendo decides to create a fourth recreation within the sequence.
Pikmin 4 launch date hypothesis
There’s no telling when Nintendo will select to launch Pikmin 4, although the writer has stored followers on their toes by asserting video games unexpectedly. If we have a look at the discharge patterns of every of the video games, this would possibly give us a clue as to when the following Pikmin recreation may launch.
Pikmin arrived as a launch title for the GameCube again in 2001. Three years later, Nintendo launched Pikmin 2, which was acquired effectively by critics and managed to promote simply over a million copies. The following mainline recreation within the sequence wouldn’t arrive till 2013, 9 years after Pikmin 2. Pikmin 3 managed to promote over a million copies regardless of launching on Nintendo’s worst-selling console.
Excluding any re-releases and the 2DS standalone sequel, we must be due one other Pikmin recreation inside the subsequent few years. Apparently sufficient, Pikmin 3 was imagined to be a launch title for the Wii U however ended up being delayed. If the rumours of a Nintendo Swap Professional grow to be true, Nintendo could possibly be saving Pikmin 4 for the launch of the brand new console.
Did Pikmin 3 Deluxe promote effectively sufficient?
Followers have speculated whether or not the success of Pikmin 3 Deluxe will decide the destiny of Pikmin 4. If this does grow to be the case, then it appears to be like like issues are making a flip for the more serious. Pikmin 3 Deluxe’s bodily gross sales numbers within the U.Ok. are down 18.5% in comparison with the Wii U model’s opening week gross sales. This doesn’t inform the entire image, as digital gross sales account for a a lot greater share of complete gross sales in comparison with Pikmin 3’s launch again in 2013.
Nintendo refuses to share the digital gross sales numbers, so it’s unlikely we’ll learn the way a lot better the sport offered on the eShop. The Pikmin sequence general has solely reached 5 million gross sales, so Nintendo wouldn’t expect Pikmin 3 Deluxe to prime the U.Ok. charts. That being mentioned, most individuals would’ve hoped Pikmin 3 Deluxe would promote greater than the Wii U model given the set up base of the Nintendo Swap.
Have there been any Pikmin 4 leaks?
The final official phrase we heard from Nintendo relating to Pikmin 4 was from Miyamoto again in 2017. It’s been three years since Miyamoto claimed the event on Pikmin 4 was progressing, but we haven’t seen or heard something thus far. There’s a likelihood Nintendo determined to scrap all progress made to the sport to start out utterly from scratch, much like Metroid Prime 4. Nintendo runs a decent ship, so we haven’t seen any leaks as of late.
And that’s every part we learn about Pikmin 4. In the event you loved this information, why not take a look at our Pikmin 3 Deluxe evaluation? Jon Mundy gave the sport a powerful eight out of ten. “Pikmin 3 Deluxe is one other complete re-release with a welcome multiplayer part,” says Mundy. “It’s a disgrace Nintendo didn’t polish it to the high-quality sheen that it deserves”
