Shigeru Miyamoto: Pikmin 4 is "Very Close to Completion"

[Lizzy Finnegan]

Shigeru Miyamoto: Pikmin 4 is "Very Close to Completion"

Shigeru Miyamoto has not only confirmed the existence of Pikmin 4, but also that the title is "very close" to being completed.

Speaking to Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-20-pikmin-4-in-development-and-very-close-to-completion] recently, head designer Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the next entry in the Pikmin franchise is "very close to completion." The platform has not yet been revealed, leaving us to wonder if Pikmin 4 could see a Wii U release, or if the title will be held back for the next generation NX platform, which is due to be detailed in 2016.

"It's actually very close to completion," Miyamoto said. "Pikmin teams are always working on the next one."

Nintendo then confirmed the news to Eurogamer in a separate statement: "We can confirm that Pikmin 4 is in development but that is all we can confirm at present."

The announcement itself is a bit odd: the article has a publish date of July 9th and a URL date of July 20th, but it did not appear until today. Eurogamer stated that a hold was requested by Nintendo.

The original Pikmin released in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, with the sequel coming three years later to the same platform. Pikmin 3 was not released until 2013 for the Wii U.

Prior to Pikmin 3's release, Miyamoto criticized the methods used in the second entry's creation [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121333-Miyamoto-Wants-Pikmin-3-to-Stress-You-Out], saying "Our main aim in Pikmin 2 was to get rid of any stress as much as possible, so that it would be very user-friendly. Well, I myself couldn't agree with that direction perfectly. That kind of nature of Pikmin 1 was exactly what I wanted to reproduce and I was actually intentionally doing so, so that Pikmin 1 could be a strategic game." With Miyamoto still involved, it's likely the fourth title will retain that strategic element.

[Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-20-pikmin-4-in-development-and-very-close-to-completion]]

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[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

My reaction to this news

Spoiler

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Here's hoping it comes out as a launch title for the NX! I'd certainly pick it up if it is.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Oh God. Even more useless Amiibos!

 

[PunkRex]

Oh sweet Jeebus, YES! My favorite franchise is getting another installment.

I'm surprised to hear Miyamoto's comments about Pikmin 2, I understand what he means about the time-limit, but its absence encouraged further exploration.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I feel bad admitting that I have yet to complete Pikmin 3...I like Pikmin 3 but I haven't finished it yet and can't really be bothered to go back to it at the moment. My money would be on Pikmin 4 either being an NX launch title or possibly a 3DS game since there hasn't been a portable Pikmin yet.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

I love how Nintendo throws these out into the wild and people go rabid over them. It's always fun to watch unfold

 

[marioandsonic]

Pikmin 4 as a launch title for the NX? Yes please.

That would certainly give the console/handheld/whatever the hell NX is a huge boost.

 

[Luminous_Umbra]

Pikmin 4 as a launch title for the NX? Yes please.

That would certainly give the console/handheld/whatever the hell NX is a huge boost.

On one hand, that would be very awesome.

On the other, it would also be nice if the Wii U got some good games before the NX rolled around.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Please tell me it's a Wii U title or cross platform. The Wii U lineup is pretty bare for 2016. Comparing to Wikipedia's lists for Gamecube and Wii releases by date, it really does look like 2016 could be the last year for the Wii U (but they could pull more surprises like this to fill up 2016).

It's good they are getting Pikmin 4 out so soon. P3 was a vast improvement over the caves in 2. 3 player characters also helped with the multitasking. Hopefully, they can actually advertise this game so Pikmin 5 can come out sooner than 2026.

Now if only they'd do this kind of typical Nintendo "hey, this game exists and is almost done" surprise announcement for a Metroid Wii U game. I'm still eyeballing that unnamed Retros Studios Wii U title in case they are holding on to the news for the 30th anniversary. (Not holding my breath on that, though.)

Oh God. Even more useless Amiibos!

Shh. Don't give them ideas. You know the Pikmin Amiibo pack will be a Fry's exclusive (Fry's being nowhere in my area and kinda rare in most of the US.), extremely limited in numbers, and will probably be the only way to unlock different Pikmin types in one of the challenge modes.

 

[Hero of Lime]

On the other, it would also be nice if the Wii U got some good games before the NX rolled around.

Well, Splatoon alone already makes the Wii U worth having so I don't see the problem here.

OT: This really surprised me. I figured we would not see another Pikmin game for a really long time since they don't sell super well. Definitely agree with others in the thread, making this an NX lauch title would be wise. Nintendo needs to learn that you gotta have really good launch games to move units quicker.

 

[mysecondlife]

I forgot that Pikman 3 is out.

 

[totheendofsin]

I feel like this announcement should have been at e3, or at least in a direct. Them throwing it out there like this makes me think it might be an NX launch title, but my heart hopes for 3ds

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

I forgot that Pikman 3 is out.

Many people do. It wasn't as big as it could have been. Nintendo printed so few discs that I had a hard time finding a physical copy just a year after its release.

I feel like this announcement should have been at e3, or at least in a direct. Them throwing it out there like this makes me think it might be an NX launch title, but my heart hopes for 3ds

Yeah, it's quite a shock that they didn't wait until a Nintendo Direct to reveal it. Then again, with the loss of Iwata, things are definitely still shaken up and they are probably still figuring how to continue. I still hope they keep making directs, since those were great ways to get straight facts from the company.

I don't think we will ever see a 3DS Pikmin. I heard they experimented with it once and couldn't make it work. (I don't know if that means it was hard to manage the team with the small screen or the hardware just couldn't handle it.) Maybe a handheld in the future can work.

 

[Aerosteam]

Thank you. Too many devs nowadays show off their game before it's even guaranteed to get finished/released so it's nice to see something that's for sure will look representative of what the game will be like on release by the time they first show gameplay.

 

[Guffe]

I liked Pikmin 3.
So I hope this one will also be on the WiiU.
Another good game to enjoy hopefully
I even enjoyed the co-op Pikmin3 maps with my brother, it was as if we'd been thrown back 12 year in time when we sat at home playing screaming at the other one what to do to get the full scores xD