Topic: Pikmin 4 already in development...

[Soren]

...and it's close to completion, says Miyamoto to Eurogamer:

"It's actually very close to completion," Miyamoto said. "Pikmin teams are always working on the next one."

Nintendo then confirmed the news to Eurogamer in a separate statement:

"We can confirm that Pikmin 4 is in development but that is all we can confirm at present."

So either the Pikmin engine was already up and running on the NX Operating System after 3 launched, or this could be a game that has shifted from Wii U to NX.

[rlse9]

Or it's one of the last big games for Wii U.  It doesn't make any sense to me that they'd announce that it's almost finished already, then sit on it for a year (or more) until NX comes out.  Or they could finally be releasing a handheld version of the game.  My guess is that it's one of the few earlier 2016 Wii U releases.

[ejamer]

I'm hoping it is a way to re-use the Wii U assets/engine for 3 and try to make a quick profit off a game that didn't require extensive development.  But maybe that's just me being selfish and wanting more Wii U titles before the console goes belly-up.  (Hint: that's exactly what it is.)

[ThePerm]

I'm pretty pleased with Wii U. Its worked out well as a Nintendo fan. This could be a good last hurrah. The question about Zelda did people not buy Wii U because they were waiting for Zelda? or they just didn't care?
If I were Nintendo i'd probably move Zelda to NX.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

If I were Nintendo i'd probably move Zelda to NX.

I hate this! While I get the logic, I hate the thought of having to wait another 12-18months to play Zelda. Remember that thread form about 10 years ago? Forward Compatibility in Twilight Princess GameCube?  This feels the same way. 


Pikmin 4? That should be a NX I/II title.

[ThePerm]

We all kinda hate this logic, on the other hand we also want our consoles to work out better. I want NX to be successful. I want the game, but it would probably be better on NX. As I said earlier, as a Nintendo fan Wii U worked out well for me. I got more out of it than Wii.

I also started that Zelda Wii Twilight princess thread. I predicted they would pull a Sonic 3d blast and put it on Gamecube and Wii just like Sega had done with that game on 32X and Saturn. Everyone thought I was nuts.I was totally right.The only reason why I don't think they'll do the same with this one is it seems like they are trying to let us down softly. Not at e3 eh?  I imagine at e3 next year they'll show it off on NX and announce it's cancelled for Wii U. On the other hand it might be so gorgeous nobody cares. Consolation: Pikmin 4 for Wii U. Pikmin 4 might get an official announcement between now and December and be out in March too. These are just predictions based off of previous activity.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

Pikmin 4 is the Wii U apology for moving Zelda to NX? That makes sense.

[ejamer]

Honestly, I'd rather Pikmin 4 on Wii U than Zelda anyway.  (Would rather have both, but if we had to pick just one...) I've already got two Zelda games sitting around that haven't been played yet, so am in no rush for more even though they are consistently excellent games.



Of course, I'm almost certainly in the minority here.   

[Evan_B]

I would rather have forwards compatability Zelda Wii U than Pikmin 4, which I hereby dub "P4kmin". I absolutely adored Pikmin 3, but it's about time the Wii U got a console-exclusive Zelda title.

[Ian Sane]

The NX needs to be successful.  If Nintendo cranks out another bomb aren't they pretty much finished in the console market?  No one is going to trust their brand after two flops.  So they could keep Zelda on the Wii U were it will please the small Wii U userbase and accomplish zilch for Nintendo in the long run or it could help ensure that the NX is successful and thus keep Nintendo as a console maker.  We'll all be better off if Nintendo can bounce back as a console maker.  Is having Zelda on the Wii U worth risking that?

And if they make Pikmin 4 as a tradeoff that's pretty cool because they often just leave the old system out to dry.  They could have given Wii U owners nothing so at least they're taking them into consideration.

[Luigi Dude]

The Gamecube version of Twilight Princess still managed to sell over a million copies despite the Wii version getting all the attention and advertising.  This is why Zelda is still coming to the Wii U, since it's still worth the money to do so.  Wind Waker HD and Hyrule Warriors both sold over a million, so there's still a good sized audience of Zelda fans on the Wii U.

The only reason for Zelda to not come to the Wii U is if the hardware is too weak for their vision of the game and is causing major development issues that making it NX exclusive would fix and allow for quicker development that would save them more money in the end.  Other wise if it's just like Twilight Princess where they need more time to finish the game, there's no justification for moving it to the NX when they can make more money by releasing it on both systems. 

Seriously, the Gamecube version of Twilight Princess sold 1 million while the Wii version sold close to 7 million.  Combined Twilight Princess is the best selling Zelda game of all time so releasing them on 2 systems at the same time clearly wasn't a bad thing for Nintendo.  That game showed they can release the game on their newest system to appeal to a larger audience that didn't buy the previous system while still pleasing the hardcore fans who own the old one.

[Ian Sane]

The Wii and Gamecube were practically the same hardware so having two versions was feasible.  I'm hoping the NX is enough of a step up that having dual releases would be challenging.  Of course a lot of PS4 games are also released on the PS3 so it would be the same idea.

I'm cool with a dual release but if one console is to be picked it's a no-brainer.  Offending the Wii U minority, that are all such Nintendo nuts that they'll buy the NX anyway, is a minimal concern compared to launching the NX with a bang.

[Stratos]

Wii U would be the first Nintendo console to not release a new mainline Zelda game on it (WW HD does not count since it was a remaster). I'm not convinced we will see the NX for holiday 2016 so I think Zelda will still be coming to Wii U. We may have our final holiday lineup for Wii U here. Zelda, Pikmin, and a few smaller releases to close out the final year.


Maybe we'll see another Wii U release from Retro too?

[ThePerm]

If I were to compare this Zelda development cycle to anything, i would compare it to Dinosaur Planet or Eternal Darkness. They've showed Zelda, but not much more than a trailer and a video with the game far in the background.

[Evan_B]

The Wii and Gamecube were practically the same hardware so having two versions was feasible.  I'm hoping the NX is enough of a step up that having dual releases would be challenging.  Of course a lot of PS4 games are also released on the PS3 so it would be the same idea.

I'm cool with a dual release but if one console is to be picked it's a no-brainer.  Offending the Wii U minority, that are all such Nintendo nuts that they'll buy the NX anyway, is a minimal concern compared to launching the NX with a bang.

Who actually cares about Zelda nowadays though- potential console owners, or the most dedicated of Nintendo's fans? Zelda isn't Nintendo's best selling franchise, and though adding open-world, auto horse, and bullet time arrow shooting appeals to an Assassin's Creed crowd, Zelda is an "event" only for those that love Nintendo's history.

I can understand the consumer potential of the next Zelda on NX exclusively, but it's not happening. It will be a dual release, and that's a good thing, too- I'm not going to buy Nintendo's next doodad until they can prove to me it has good potential in its library and whatnot.

[Luigi Dude]

Who actually cares about Zelda nowadays though- potential console owners, or the most dedicated of Nintendo's fans? Zelda isn't Nintendo's best selling franchise, and though adding open-world, auto horse, and bullet time arrow shooting appeals to an Assassin's Creed crowd, Zelda is an "event" only for those that love Nintendo's history.

Once again Twilight Princess sold over 8 million copies and the Zelda it was most based off of Ocarina of Time sold 7.6 million copies.  When Zelda is actually aimed at a larger audience it does sell quite well.  Considering what the upcoming Zelda is doing it has the potential to get Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess level sales or even higher.   

Yeah I agree Zelda will still be a dual release but the franchise is still bigger then just a hardcore Nintendo fanboy only event.

[Evan_B]

Twilight Princess sold well because it was on a hot system. Again, I say the sales POTENTIAL is high but if the NX is another flop, it won't break any records.

[Ian Sane]

If Zelda doesn't matter anymore than neither does Mario and Nintendo is basically fucked unless they somehow bust out a new IP for the NX that catches on like Pokémon did.  I would figure a new Nintendo console launching with Zelda would stand a better chance at catching attention then one without.

I think gamers like Nintendo games they just aren't willing to put up with Nintendo's idiotic bullshit to get them.  They're not worth enough to justify buying a console with zilch third party support and last gen graphics that's whole selling point is an expensive screen controller no one gives a **** about and Nintendo barely even uses in any meaningful way.  Few games of any sort can overcome that.