Nintendo Makes November 1 Pikmin Day, Kicks It Off With a Surprise Direct

Nintendo wants Pikmin to stand alongside Mario and Zelda among its biggest franchises, and it is now putting a date on that ambition. November 1 is officially Pikmin Day, a yearly anchor for announcements. The first one arrived as a surprise Pikmin Day Direct, with series creator Shigeru Miyamoto walking viewers through the news.

Miyamoto explained the date with a rationale that few will take at face value. Lined up side by side, the original trio of Pikmin looks a bit like the number 111, so the team was choosing between November 1 and January 11. Whatever the logic, it gives fans a day to celebrate a series Miyamoto has long treated as a personal favorite.

The biggest concrete news involved Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which was already scheduled for November 12. The presentation mostly walked through what the upgrade adds. Oatchi can now respond to voice commands through the Switch 2 microphone, and the new Dandori Academy mode gets a full tour. Players plan a route through a stage, then take an exam every weekend, Friday through Sunday. Each exam allows only one attempt, which makes it feel a little like Hitman's Elusive Targets, just with a far friendlier tone. A demo arrives November 2 with the opening area and two Dandori Academy stages.

Pikmin Bloom is getting Secret Caves this winter. To find one, you need a cave map, and the presentation hinted that these often come attached to postcards. Completing exams in the Switch 2 Edition will also earn special maps. Once a cave is discovered, you can send your Pikmin in to explore on their own. If they meet a creature, a battle starts, and you can blow your whistle to pull them back if things turn dangerous. Defeated Pikmin recover automatically after a short wait. Winning a cave battle earns a treasure that goes into a new section of your collection.

The presentation closed with animation. Miyamoto was joined by Japanese actress Fuka Koshiba, who gained attention for her knitted Pikmin hats. After some friendly chatter about hats and claw machines, the pair introduced a new Hello Pikmin short in which a Pikmin tries to hide from a suspiciously sneaky toad. More are on the way. Another short arrives later in November, followed by monthly Hello Pikmin shorts beginning in December.