Pokemon Go Developer Announces Pikmin Mobile Game

Mobile game developer Niantic, developer of Pokemon GO and Ingress, has announced their latest augmented reality (AR) endeavor: a game set in the world of Pikmin. The currently untitled Pikmin mobile game is the second collaboration between Niantic and Nintendo, following the global success of Pokemon GO.

The app is planned for a late 2021 release, and was developed collaboratively between Nintendo and Niantic’s new Tokyo Studio, which opened in 2018. Nintendo has hinted that further collaborations with Niantic based on other major Nintendo properties might be forthcoming.

Pikmin is a franchise of puzzle-exploration games revolving around collecting a team of the titular plant-like creatures, which are then used to solve puzzles and complete various tasks. While Pikmin has traditionally never been one of Nintendo’s best-known properties, the recently released Pikmin 3 Deluxe received high praise and became the series’ highest-selling entry.

Few details have been revealed, but Nintendo has confirmed that it will be “a fun walking experience” which will use AR technology to create a world in which the plant-like Pikmin are hidden around us. It seems that, like Pokemon GO, the app will allow users to earn rewards by walking around, in order to encourage fitness and exercise.

Pikmin creator Shigeru Miyamoto further confirmed that the app will operate using the idea that Pikmin live secretly in the real world. It has not been confirmed whether the player will play as themselves or a space traveler similar to popular series protagonist Olimar.

Fans interested in keeping up with news regarding the Pikmin mobile app before its full release later this year can pre-register now. However, the app’s official release date has not yet been announced.

Which other Nintendo properties would you like to see adapted into AR-based mobile games? The folks here at GameLuster are especially hoping for a The Legend of Zelda-inspired title where you collect adorable Koroks or hunt for pieces of the Triforce in the real world.

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