Nintendo sets annual Pikmin Day and plans monthly animated shorts
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Nintendo has set 1 November as an annual Pikmin Day and announced Hello! Pikmin, a new series of animated shorts made with Nintendo Pictures. The moves add a regular celebration and new content for the 25-year-old franchise, alongside updates to its console and mobile games.
Shigeru Miyamoto said the date was chosen because “11.1” resembles the original red, yellow and blue Pikmin standing side by side. Nintendo plans to release one Hello! Pikmin short each month in the near future, through the Nintendo Today app and other channels. Pikmin 4’s Switch 2 edition arrives in November with 72 Dandori Academy stages released over time and a free demo due on 2 November; Pikmin Bloom is set to add Secret Caves this winter.
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In short
- 1 November will become an annual Pikmin Day.
- Nintendo plans monthly Hello! Pikmin animated shorts.
- Pikmin games are getting new Switch 2 and mobile content.
How this story developed
- 1 hour ago Nintendo added that Pikmin Bloom’s Secret Caves will let players battle enemies and collect treasure, while reaffirming the planned Pikmin Day, shorts and game updates.
- 1 hour ago Nintendo marked the franchise’s 25th anniversary by naming 1 November Pikmin Day, announcing monthly Hello! Pikmin animated shorts and outlining updates for Pikmin 4 and Pikmin Bloom.
Full account
Nintendo has designated 1 November as an annual Pikmin Day, using a new franchise presentation to share plans for the series. Shigeru Miyamoto said the date was chosen because the numerals 11.1 resemble the original three Pikmin — red, yellow and blue — standing together. The date is not tied to the games’ original release: Pikmin first appeared in Japan in October 2001 and reached North America later that year.
The presentation also introduced Hello! Pikmin, a series of animated shorts made with Nintendo Pictures. In the short shown, a red Pikmin approaches a toad that appears to be asleep and tries to take its baseball. The apparent opportunity turns dangerous when the toad wakes, revealing that it is hungry. Nintendo plans to release a new short each month in the near future through the Nintendo Today app and other channels. The project follows earlier Pikmin animations, including a short released the previous year and a trio of films from 2014.
Nintendo also revisited Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy, due on 12 November. The updated game will let players use the console’s built-in microphone to give Oatchi voice commands. Dandori Academy adds strategic challenges, with timed weekend exams and medals; Nintendo says 72 stages will be released over time. A free demo is scheduled for 2 November, featuring the opening area and two Academy stages, with save data transferable to the full game.
The outlets frame the announcement differently. One presents Pikmin Day as part of a wider set of franchise updates and gives more attention to the Hello! Pikmin shorts, their monthly release plan and Nintendo’s earlier animation work. The other leads with the surprise Direct and stresses that it brought no Pikmin 5 announcement; it gives more specific detail on the demo’s save transfer, the Sun-Speckled Terrace area and the exams’ medals. Both cover the date’s visual explanation and the Switch 2 edition, while their supplied reports also refer to further Pikmin Bloom updates.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report emphasises the new Hello! Pikmin animated series, its planned monthly cadence and links to previous Pikmin animation projects; the second focuses on the unexpected Direct and notes that it did not announce Pikmin 5.
The second report specifies that demo progress can transfer to the full game and names the Sun-Speckled Terrace, while the first describes the demo more generally as covering the opening area and two challenges.
The first says the weekend exams will have leaderboards and that 72 stages will arrive over time. The second highlights timed tasks and medals, without mentioning leaderboards or the total stage count in the supplied excerpt.
Explained simply
Pikmin is a Nintendo game series in which players guide small plant-like creatures called Pikmin to solve problems and explore. The first game was released in 2001, and the series has since appeared on Nintendo consoles and mobile phones.
Shigeru Miyamoto, a Nintendo game designer, helped create Pikmin. The games combine exploration with organising Pikmin to carry out tasks, while Pikmin Bloom uses phone-based walking and collecting. The franchise’s different formats give Nintendo ways to reach both game players and a wider audience.
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Originally published by Polygon as “Nintendo Reveals Pikmin Day Surprise and New Project Hello! Pikmin”.