Pikmin 4 has finally been announced! During today's Nintendo Direct showcase, the company presented Shigeru Miyamoto no less to draw back the curtain on a game that has been long rumoured, but not confirmed. Now Pikmin fans can rejoice, for the little half-plant, half-animal species will be returning at long last.

No gameplay was shown off, but we did get a few tantalising images. The Pikmin series first debuted on the GameCube in late 2001. A sequel followed in 2004, while Pikmin 3 came out on the Wii U all the way back in July 2013. No wonder Pikmin fans have been antsy for a follow up.

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During the Direct, Miyamoto did spend what felt like an agonisingly long time talking about the Niantic AR title Pikmin Bloom, while we waited with bated breath for the announcement we really wanted. Oh and he also showed off a Pikmin t-shirt he was wearing under his blazer. However, it appears Nintendo is going to wait a while before showing off any gameplay from Pikmin 4. You can check out the announcement trailer below.

Miyamoto said the new game will feature a new Pikmin deployment mechanic, and that players can expect a mode that will allow you to be a lot closer to the ground. But apart from that, and the few images shown, we didn't get much. Still, we can now look forward to more details in the months to come. Expect Pikmin 4 on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2023. We'll have more information as we get it.

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