Nintendo names November 1 Pikmin Day

Nintendo announced that November 1 will be called Pikmin Day in a surprise Direct posted on its YouTube channel on the morning of October 31. Shigeru Miyamoto opened the video by saying the date would be called Pikmin Day, noting that three Pikmin standing side by side resemble 11.1, and that the franchise dates back to the 2001 GameCube release.

The Direct also revealed a free demo of Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition plus Dandori Academy for Switch 2 owners, launching on November 2. The demo contains the opening Sunspeckled Terrace area and two Dandori Academy stages, and save data carries over to the full game, which releases on November 12.

Demo, Full Game, and New Modes

Other announcements included a voice-command feature that lets players use the Switch 2 microphone to give Oatchi instructions, a timed treasure-rush mode called Dandori Academy, and a Secret Caves feature for Pikmin Bloom that will add underground battles. A new “Hello! Pikmin” short-film series also debuted in the Direct, with monthly episodes to follow.

Nintendo will stream a Treehouse Plays event for the Switch 2 edition at 9 am PT on November 1. Nintendo of America confirmed that the demo will launch on Monday.