To promote the upcoming release of Pikmin 4 later this month, fans have been buying ad space to play over New York City's Time Square. The long-awaited fourth Pikmin game will be released within the second half of July, launching nearly over a decade since the last game's release on the Wii U. Nintendo has been pushing for the game's launch ever since its release date was announced, with the last few months giving the spotlight to the franchise. This includes shadow dropping Pikmin 1 and 2 HD ports, making all the numbered entries in the franchise available to play on the Switch once Pikmin 4 releases.Alongside these ports, more information about the game was steadily revealed throughout June and July, which detailed new gameplay elements like its custom character and new nighttime missions. Fans got to try out a portion of Pikmin 4 via a demo, with any progress made in this being carried over into the main game after release. While Nintendo has been bringing attention to the game before its launch, Pikmin fans are going a step further with some unofficial ads that are being aired over NYC.The first Pikmin 4-related ad that was seen in the city was by Pachi/Alph on Twitter, where they posted a clip that wouldn't be out of place as a meme. It contains a 3D animated Olimar who is apparently twerking, with a caption that tells those who are watching to buy Pikmin 4 when it releases on July 21. This then caught the attention of the fandom, which then kicked off an aggressive ad campaign for the game with users joining in with their own contributions.
This includes a random ad that features the Pikmin enemy Bulbmin, which happened to interrupt a series of birthday messages that were airing at the same time. Other fans decided to join in on the fun, such as an ad that had Olimar and his Pikmin towering over the plaza, and another paying for one based on another meme. Needless to say, fans are having fun running with this newfound advertising potential in order to get the word out about the game.
As to why these memes are suddenly appearing over Time Square, that would be due to TSX Live, where anyone can upload a 15-second video to be aired over the TSX Broadway Screen. This only comes at the cost of $40, which depending on the person is worth it in order to get something to be seen by many people walking in New York City. There are only a few days left before the game releases, and the fandom seems like it's going to continue running these ads until its then.
Pikmin 4 launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2023.
Source: GamesRadar
