The Switch has a huge installed base with both casual and hardcore players, which has been a boon for plenty of Nintendo’s franchises.Metroid Dreadbroke franchise sales recordssoon after it released this month, and the same can be said for a number of games.Fire Emblem: Three HousesandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsalso set records, andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis the best-selling fighting game of all time.Pikmin 3 Deluxeis also at the top its series, andPikmin 4seems more likely as a result.
Rumors aboutPikmin 4have circulated since 2015 thanks to the occassional vague comment by Shigeru Miyamoto, but thus far different projects have released instead. A generally underwhelming spin-off calledHey! Pikminreleased for 3DS in 2017, followed by Wii U portPikmin 3 Deluxein 2020.Pokemon GOdeveloper Niantic is also working on aPikminmobile game, though details about its release window are sparse.
RELATED:Pikmin 3 Deluxe Debuts at Top of Japanese Sales Charts
Given the series' infrequent releases, one wouldn’t be remiss to thinkPikmin 4will wait for Nintendo’s post-Switch console (whenever that might appear given it just put out the Switch OLED model). However,Kirby and the Forgotten Landbeing announced during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct continues a pattern that suggests it’s possible to see another mainlinePikmingame soon amid its growing popularity.
Nintendo Loves Double-Dipping on Switch
Super MarioandThe Legend of Zeldaare arguably Nintendo’s biggest franchises (not counting the Game Freak-developedPokemon), so it’s not uncommon to see multiple games in each console generation.Mario GalaxyandGalaxy 2both released on the Wii, for example, meanwhileOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Maskcame out on N64. These also tend to get the most spin-offs, with Mario in particular out partying, go-karting, and more.
Thus, even if the potential scope of the project is larger than ever, it’s not surprising to see a game likeBreath of the Wild 2in development. Especially considering the original game was a launch title, it only seems appropriate for Nintendo to work on another for the same console going on five years into its life. The same could be said for a game likeMario Party Superstars, the second in its franchise to release on Switch following 2018’sSuper Mario Party.
Kirbygames also tend to come out at a rapid clip; two mainline entries released on 3DS withTriple DeluxeandPlanet Robobotalongside half a dozen spin-offs, and this isn’t uncommon for handheld consoles. Seeing multiple mainlineKirbygames on home consoles is more rare, withKirby 64: The Crystal Shardson N64 andReturn to Dream Landon Wii standing alone. SeeingKirby and the Forgotten Landannounced afterStar Alliesis a good sign for this double-dipping pattern also seen viaSplatoonand others.
RELATED:Kirby and the Forgotten Land Could Be a Spiritual Sequel to Crystal Shards
Pikmin 4 Would Fit a Current Nintendo Zeitgeist
Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s theming also offers good reason to suspectPikmin 4is still possible on Switch followingPikmin 3 Deluxe. ThoughForgotten Landis notable for being the first full 3D titlein the franchise, it also caught many fans' attention thanks to an evocative post-apocalyptic setting. Kirby wanders through the remnants of locations such as shopping malls, making the titular forgotten land appear more human than ever.
The Legend of Zelda:Breath of the Wildalso went for a post-apocalyptic take on Hyrule; the style appears to be “in” right now at Nintendo.Pikminhas always flirted with that aesthetic, each game being set on Earth as seen by miniscule characters. Remnants of society appear all over without a single human making themselves known. In fact,Pikmin 2was all about collecting discarded trash like bottle caps, seen as mysterious alien treasures to the Hocotatians.
Between Pikmin getting more attention than ever thanks toPikmin 3 DeluxeandNiantic’s mobile game, the pattern of Nintendo releasing second entries of series on Switch, andPikmin’s post-apocalyptic setting, it seems more likely than ever fans might getPikmin 4soon. If there are still a few more years left in the Switch’s lifespan, hopefully something along those lines is announced sooner rather than later.
