Pikmin 4: Announced InDirectly to You
It took nearly everyone by surprise when Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed in an interview with Eurogamer that not only is Pikmin 4 in development, it’s nearing completion. Nothing is alarming about the latter aspect, as Nintendo is good for announcing and releasing games in quick fashion, particularly titles not among their highest selling franchises. It’s also no shock to hear a Pikmin sequel is in development, since they already have the assets and engine ready to go for another quickly-yet-efficiently-created installment. It’s a strategy the company used before with the first two games on Gamecube, the second of which offered significant refinements to its formula.
The timing of the announcement is nonetheless peculiar despite that comparative lower importance on the totem pole, because it should have been part of a special program Nintendo interstitially holds to announce new titles in development: Nintendo Direct. Thinking about when the last installment occurred puts into perspective how long it’s been missing in action, to an ostensibly frightening degree.
The last few Directs, outside the E3 2015 Showcase, were focused on individual upcoming games. Specifically, they focused on Xenoblade Chronicles X (a short presentation for a game not coming until December, meaning they should hold at least one more), Splatoon, and Super Smash Bros.. We haven’t received a traditional Direct which showcased new and existing titles since April 1st — over five months ago. That’s, of course, not including the Nintendo Direct Micro that occurred slightly before E3, which was far more low-key than the traditional affair. Something happened to halt them, and it’s not difficult to piece together why.
Nintendo is still within the grieving period for former Nintendo Ltd. president Satoru Iwata, who left us far too early two months ago. In addition to being the company’s head, among fulfilling other respectable roles previously, he was also the face of the biggest Nintendo Directs. With him gone, they’ll never be the same again. But if they plan to continue them, someone will have to replace him, but it will take time to groom even a halfway worthy successor.
Over the last few months, it’s been evident that at least one Direct was planned to happen by now. Many announcements were made that would have traditionally been part of one. The recent Nindies@Night indie showcase Nintendo held, along with the announcement of the Shovel Knight Amiibo, could have been there. Also, the normal New 3DS is finally coming to America via the Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer bundle at the end of this month. A Direct could have also included dates and new previews for the Nintendo titles recently dated for the fall season. Don’t be surprised if some Directs focused on one title are waiting around the corner, they’ll want to wait until the time is right for a new traditional one.
Meanwhile, given how complete Pikmin 4 apparently is, they should be showing it soon. But it’s tough to piece together when that could happen. Nintendo doesn’t attend Tokyo Game Show, and their appearance would have been treated as massive world-turning news if they chose to this year. It would be a good idea to save this game’s reveal for the eventual Direct, which would ideally be one of many new reveals to hammer home the return of regular Directs after their long dormancy. Of course, this assumes they still have some plenty of other software we’re currently unaware of in development for Wii U and 3DS, because I’m sure Directs will return well before the NX’s unveil.
Speaking of that, another question pertains to what hardware Pikmin 4 will land on. As you’d expect, many predictions have been made, including Wii U, 3DS, and even NX. Given Miyamoto’s current mention of it, you can rule NX out, as they would have left it entirely shrouded in mystery if this was intended for an unrevealed platform. It would take more work to make it for 3DS due to previous assets they can’t use, even if sales would potentially be higher thanks to a larger userbase. It would be far easier to simply make this for Wii U, due to asset reuse and as a nice parting gift for diehard Nintendo fans who’ve stuck with the hardware. Since it will very likely reuse assets created for Pikmin 3, the budget shouldn’t be too high, meaning Nintendo won’t need high sales to profit from it.
Even acknowledging why a Nintendo Direct can’t happen now, it was nonetheless awkward to see someone from high up within Nintendo to announce a game in such a way. But the realistic speculation involved suggests this announcement is an anomaly. Hopefully things return to a more normal state for the company soon in the future.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
