As far as rumoured Nintendo projects go, Pikmin 4 is certainly a unique one, because it's only ever been revealed by Shigeru Miyamoto. We've never had a trailer, screenshots or gameplay footage, just his sole confirmation that it was far along with its development in 2015.
Needless to say, it still hasn't emerged and there's been some confusion surrounding Pikmin 4's status. For now though, here's everything we do know about the game.
Latest news
13 September 2022
Pikmin 4 is confirmed, and it is coming next year.
21 April 2022
Pain. Still no Pikmin 4 news. (sigh).
8 February 2022
Nintendo has confirmed a new Direct presentation airs tomorrow on February 9. Scheduled to kick off at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10PM GMT / 11pm CET, that's expected to last for "roughly 40 minutes," focus on Switch games launching "in the first half of 2022."
23 March 2021
Nintendo and Niantic Are Bringing Pikmin To AR - Pokemon Go developer Niantic will partner with Nintendo to bring more of its franchises into augmented reality titles. The first game to get the AR treatment will be a mobile Pikmin title, and will be launching later in 2021.
30 October 2020
Pikmin 3 Deluxe Launches On Switch - After releasing on the Wii U in 2013, Pikmin 3 joined many former first-party exclusives in being ported to Nintendo Switch. Offering a new co-op mode and expanded content, it also left people wondering about Pikmin 4's fate.
Pikmin 4 release date
Pikmin 4 is currently scheduled for a 2023 release date, but we haven't got any hint of when in the year this may be. Stay tuned for more information.
What do we know about Pikmin 4's gameplay?
We've only seen a teeny tiny snippet of the game so far in a 35-second trailer, but we do know that there will be a new way of playing, from down on the ground in an almost Pikmin-perspective. The trailer also showed us a classic setting for a Pikmin title; a flowery garden with a sleeping Bulborb.
We expect more details soon as 2023 draws closer.
Pikmin 4's long development history
Pikmin 4 was first announced during an interview with Eurogamer in 2015, Miyamoto confirmed that it was "actually very close to completion". Then in 2016, we got reassurances that the game was being worked on but months later 3DS spin-off entry Hey! Pikmin was announced, though we were later told these are separate projects.
Cut to 2017, and Miyamoto once again spoke to Eurogamer. Joking about Pikmin 4's status, he stated that "I've been told not to share anything about this from PR, but I can tell you it is progressing."
Allegedly, development was rebooted in 2019 - though this has no official source and was mentioned by YouTube streamers. It could very likely be true given the now seven year gap since the announcement of Pikmin 4's existence.
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