Nintendo Declares November 1 Is Pikmin Day With A Direct Featuring Game News And Animated Shorts

Nintendo has officially established November 1 as Pikmin Day, an annual celebration of the 25-year-old puzzle-strategy franchise. The decision was announced by legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto during a surprise Nintendo Direct that aired on October 31, 2026. The date was chosen because “11.1” visually resembles the three original Pikmin (red, yellow, and blue) standing side by side—a reasoning Miyamoto himself acknowledged as somewhat dubious.

The inaugural Pikmin Day Direct featured several major announcements. Most significantly, Pikmin 4 is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on November 12, 2026. The Switch 2 edition includes new features: voice commands for Oatchi (the space dog companion) via the console’s built-in microphone, and a new Dandori Academy mode that challenges players with specific tasks and features leaderboards for competition.

Nintendo also announced Hello! Pikmin, a new animated shorts series co-created with Nintendo Pictures. The first episode debuted during the Direct, followed by additional shorts scheduled for November 1 and later in the month. These shorts represent an expansion of Nintendo’s multimedia strategy for Pikmin, following their October 2025 “Close to You” short.

Additionally, the mobile game Pikmin Bloom received new content updates. Miyamoto emphasized Nintendo’s commitment to elevating Pikmin to the same cultural significance as Mario and Zelda, stating he wants “people to know more about Pikmin” going forward. Pikmin Day is expected to become an annual event for franchise announcements and celebrations.

Nintendo Declares November 1 Is Pikmin Day With A Direct Featuring Game News And Animated Shorts

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