Video Games Stuck In Development Hell: Part 1

Pikmin is a special franchise to many people, but despite its niche popularity, it’s never reached the heights of other Nintendo franchises. In total, Only 8 Million copies have been sold of the franchise.. Pikmin 3 Deluxe showed that there was still some juice to the franchise by going under contract. About 2 million units sold in less than 1 year – a quarter of the series’ entire sales  – and fans have speculated that its financial performance could dictate the future of the series and the development of Pikmin 4.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the series creator of Pikmin 4, mentioned Pikmin 4 back in 2015. He told Eurogamer that it was in development and “very close to completion.” Time passed and then Hey! Pikmin was the 2D Pikmin spinoff. It was released in July 2017. Some speculated that it was the Pikmin 4 Miyamoto.

Now, this is certainly a possibility, especially considering we haven’t heard a peep about Pikmin 4 since 2017, but in June of that year, Miyamoto told Eurogamer that “it is progressing.” 

It would be weird if Hey! Pikmin was Pikmin 4, it’d be odd to say Pikmin 4 is still in the works just a month before Hey! Pikmin hit 3DS. If a game is about to come out in a month, developers don’t typically say “it is progressing” when referring to its development in the final month; the game has likely gone gold and is being further optimized and cleaned of bugs. 

However, that was the last Nintendo or anyone there referred to Pikmin 4, so where it’s at today is anybody’s guess. Here’s hoping Pikmin 3 Deluxe’s 2 million units sold sends a clear message to Nintendo that fans are ready for its sequel.