Summary
Pikmin 4has become a huge hit since its launch, selling more units in the first week than its three predecessors did together during their debuts. When compared to the previous title,Pikmin 4changed a lot, offering character customization, new Pikmin to collect, fewer restrictions, and more in-depth night exploration, for instance. This makes it an excellent entry point for gamers who don’t know the franchise very well.
Part of whyPikmin 4was so successful was due to Nintendo’s aggressive marketing campaign in Japan. Not only did Nintendo bringPikmin 1and2to Switch before the launch to build up hype, but also advertised the game essentially everywhere, including non-gaming-related places such as convenience stores. Also, some hardcore fans even used their own money to pay forPikmin 4ads over Times Square, which could have increased the general awareness about the game, although it’s difficult to say for sure.
RELATED:Pikmin Fans Recreate Scrapped Story Area From Pikmin 3
The result of these efforts is thatPikmin 4sold incredibly well in Japan. According to the Japanese media outlet Famitsu (via VGC),Pikmin 4managed to sell 401,853 units in its first week, greatly surpassing the three previous games in the franchise, which sold 101,299, 161,930, and 92,720 copies, respectively. It’s essential to note, though, that these numbers represent only physical sales of the game, meaning that the final difference would probably be even higher, as online purchases are more common today than in 2013 whenPikmin 3was released.
Last week, Shigeru Miyamoto discussedwhy previousPikmingames sold poorly. According to him, the game’s high difficulty curve may have been the main reason for the previous trilogy being a niche. The little Pikmin die very easily, and keeping them alive is a core aspect of the franchise, Miyamoto defended, so this degree of frustration may have stifled sales before. Fortunately, it seems that it’s not happening this time, as Nintendo is trying to convey these aspects of gameplay as “interesting” instead of “difficult” with the new entry.
Right now,Pikmin 4is also one of the highest-rated gamesavailable on Switch. It has an 88 critic score on Metacritic and a 9.3 player score at the time of this report. This makes it one of the best Switch games of the year, behindThe Legend ofZelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which was a unanimous success and obtained a critic score of 96, marking an excellent year for Nintendo.
