Pikmin 3 could be the next Wii U game coming to Switch

Deluxe version rumored

It looks like 2020 will be light on Nintendo Direct streams, but there’s still plenty of news to look forward to over the sleepy summer. This morning, Nintendo dropped an out-of-nowhere Paper Mario: The Origami King announcement with a July 17 date. Soon, we might hear about Pikmin 3 on Switch.

That’s according to VentureBeat‘s Jeff Grubb, who reports that “other Nintendo studios will have games ready for release soon,” not just Intelligent Systems. “That includes the 3D Mario remasters [which have been heavily rumored for Mario’s 35th anniversary], but it should also include Pikmin 3 Deluxe.”

“This is one of the things I was actually expecting at the March Direct,” Grubb said on the Gaming Ride Home podcast. “I don’t think Nintendo originally planned that to be a Direct Mini. I’m pretty certain that this game, Pikmin 3 – and then also Paper Mario – were supposed to be announced at that event. But then COVID happened.” Nintendo is reportedly struggling with the work-from-home transition.

Nintendo’s “not planning to have another Direct – at least for many months – so it’s figuring other ways to announce these games,” he said. “I think the way that it did with Paper Mario, I think it’s gonna do the same thing with Pikmin 3, where it’s gonna just say, ‘Hey, this game’s gonna be ready pretty soon.'”

During the show, Grubb said he believes the Nintendo Switch version of Pikmin 3 will “work in the same way” as other former Wii U titles like New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

I hope so! The list of Wii U exclusives is dwindling. While I’m still waiting for Pikmin 4 (what’s the holdup?), and I already own Pikmin 3, it’s one of my favorite Nintendo series. I’ll double-dip for sure.

Paper Mario: The Origami King revealed with July launch date [VentureBeat]