As part of an interview ahead of the July 21 release of Pikmin 4, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto has offered his explanation for why Pikmin never became a commercial hit like many of Nintendo’s other franchises. With its cast of colorful creatures and unique blend of real-time strategy and puzzle gameplay, Nintendo’s Pikmin series has garnered a devoted following over the years despite never being a top seller.
First appearing on the Nintendo GameCube with 2001’s original Pikmin game, Nintendo’s quirky strategy series has been widely praised over the years for its gameplay and unique visual style. Placing players in control of a diminutive, spacesuit-clad character capable of ordering around squads of the titular creatures, the Pikmin franchise offers players a charming spin on traditional strategy games. But, despite developing somewhat of a cult following across the series’ three console entries, the Pikmin franchise has never had the sales success of some of Nintendo’s other major properties.
As first reported by IGN, Pikmin creator and gaming industry icon Shigeru Miyamoto has explained why he feels the series never became a commercial hit. The remarks came as part of Nintendo’s Ask the Developer roundtable on Pikmin 4, which also included several members of the game’s development team. When discussing previous Pikmin games at one point during the interview, Miyamoto notes that he often wonders why “they haven’t exploded more in sales even though they’re so much fun to play?” Ultimately, he concludes that Pikmin’s difficulty could be what scares some players off.
Expanding on that idea, Miyamoto acknowledged that gamers could find death in the game challenging but stated that he feels “the franchise’s strength lies in its relationship with mortality.” He cites the challenge of figuring out a way to prevent the Pikmin’s deaths as a big part of the franchise’s fun. The two key areas he sees as contributing to Pikmin's perceived difficulty are the controls and depth of gameplay, noting that a great deal of time was spent to “convey these points as ‘interesting’ rather than ‘difficult.'” Miyamoto goes on to explain how some of Pikmin 4’s new features are designed to support players and address challenges with the game’s controls.
It remains to be seen if Pikmin 4 will manage to escape its predecessors’ fate and become a commercial hit, but it’s clear that Miyamoto and the rest of the design team have done their best to ensure that it will. And with hardcore fans recently paying for homemade Pikmin 4 ads in Times Square, it looks like the franchise’s fanbase is doing its part too.
Pikmin 4 launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2023.
