Shigeru Miyamoto popped up on Halloween morning to give the little plant guys their own holiday. Here’s why it’s Nov. 1, and what’s coming for Pikmin 4 on Switch 2.
Nintendo dropped a surprise Direct on Halloween morning, and it wasn’t about anything spooky. It was about Pikmin.
The “Pikmin Day Direct” went up on Nintendo of America’s YouTube channel on Saturday, Oct. 31, with Shigeru Miyamoto himself out front. His big news: starting this year, Nov. 1 is officially Pikmin Day. That’s today, Sunday.
“Starting this year, we’re going to start calling November 1st Pikmin Day,” Miyamoto said, according to Kotaku. “Going forward, I want people to know more about Pikmin.”
Before anyone gets their hopes up, Nintendo said up front there’d be no new game reveal. The video’s description reads, “Please note that there will be no new game announcements.” Kotaku confirmed none were made.
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Why is Pikmin Day on Nov. 1?
It’s a cute bit of math. The first Pikmin game on GameCube introduced three kinds of Pikmin: red, blue and yellow. Stand those three little sprouts side by side and they look like the number 1, three times. So, 11/1.
“If you imagine those three Pikmin as the number 1, that makes November 1st Pikmin Day!” Miyamoto said, per Final Weapon’s account of the Direct.
The original Pikmin came out on GameCube in fall 2001, so the series turns 25 this year. That feels like a good time to give it a holiday.
When does Pikmin 4 come out on Switch 2?
Thursday, Nov. 12. The full name is a mouthful: Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy. Nintendo first announced it during the Sept. 9 Nintendo Direct, so the date isn’t new. The Halloween show gave it a longer look.
The biggest change is voice commands. On Switch 2, you can boss around Oatchi, the series’ loyal space dog, by talking into the console’s built-in microphone. VGC, Nintendo Life and Kotaku all reported the feature.
Owners of the original Switch version can buy a paid upgrade pack instead of the whole game again. Nintendo Life listed a $69.99 price for a new copy back in September. Check the eShop before you buy, since prices can change.
What is Dandori Academy in Pikmin 4?
Dandori is the series’ word for planning and multitasking, the art of getting the most done before the sun goes down. Dandori Academy turns that into a timed challenge mode. You race to collect treasure and get graded on speed.
VGC and Nintendo Wire reported there are 72 stages, released over time. Exams happen every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with online leaderboards for friends and players worldwide. Kotaku reported you get one scored try on exam days and can practice the rest of the week.
So yes, Pikmin now has homework. And a report card.
Is there a Pikmin 4 Switch 2 demo?
Yes. A demo with a couple of Dandori Academy levels arrives Monday, Nov. 2, per Miketendo64. Kotaku also reported the demo lands Monday. That gives you about 10 days to practice before the full game drops.
What else did the Pikmin Day Direct announce?
Two other things. First, Pikmin Bloom, Niantic’s walking game for phones, is getting a “Secret Caves” update. Kotaku said it adds big treasure rewards, with a catch: you can lose Pikmin along the way. Miketendo64 said it arrives this winter, while Final Weapon said before the end of the year.
Second, Nintendo is launching a series of animated shorts called “Hello! Pikmin.” Episode 1 premiered during the Direct, and Final Weapon and Miketendo64 both reported new episodes will come monthly starting in December. You can watch them in the Nintendo Today app and on Nintendo’s social channels.
Here’s the full Direct:
How well did Pikmin 4 sell?
Pretty well. Pikmin 4 launched on Switch on Friday, July 21, 2023, and Nintendo reported it sold 2.61 million copies by Sept. 30, 2023, according to Nintendo Life. That made it the best seller in the series at the time, VGC reported.
That’s the newest official number we could find. Nintendo hasn’t posted an updated total for the game since.
Either way, a series that started as Miyamoto’s little garden experiment now has its own day on the calendar. Go pluck something today. Just maybe not your neighbor’s pumpkins.
Article compiled and written by Thom Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Clownfish TV newsroom.
D/REZZED is part of Clownfish TV. For more news, views, and rants on gaming, tech, and pop culture, subscribe at clownfishtv.com. Watch the show on YouTube at @ClownfishTV where new episodes drop daily. Subscribe to the Clownfish TV podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever else you get your podcasts.
Hat Tips:
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Kotaku, Zack Kotzer (Oct. 31): Pikmin Day Direct report, Miyamoto quotes, demo, Dandori exam details.
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Final Weapon, Saras Rajpal (Oct. 31): Miyamoto’s 11/1 explanation, Hello! Pikmin.
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Miketendo64, Mike Scorpio (Oct. 31): demo date, Pikmin Bloom update.
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Nintendo of America (Oct. 31): Pikmin Day Direct video and description.
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VGC, Andy Robinson (Sept. 9): Switch 2 Edition details.
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Nintendo Wire, Peter Glagowski (Sept. 9): Dandori Academy details.
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Nintendo Life, Jim Norman (Sept. 9) and Ollie Reynolds (Nov. 7, 2023): price, sales.
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.
