“These are the first short films created by Nintendo Pictures Co., Ltd,” said the company on social media. “Nintendo Pictures will continue to explore new creative possibilities through video content.”

The short film essentially acts as a teaser for a new Pikmin-based project that Nintendo has seemingly been working on. The original teaser, which you can check out on YouTube, only really had hints of it being related to Pikmin in the form of a few musical cues, and objects moving around mysteriously. A second version of the teaser was released through the Nintendo Today app, which confirmed that Pikmin were responsible for the objects moving around.

For context, the teaser revolves around a baby, left alone for a few moments in its room, seeing its pacifier pulled out of its mouth and moving around of its own accord. This prompts the baby to playfully chase the pacifier as it makes it way around the room. The short film culminates with the baby slowly learning to walk on two feet in order to chase down the pacifier, at which point its mother walks in the room and is overjoyed to see her child walking.

Unfortunately, the Pikmin-ised version of the short film can only currently be viewed through the Nintendo Today smartphone app, which doesn’t really have any way to share its contents yet. However, it is very likely that the company will eventually release this second version of the teaser for everyone to see through the standard channels of the Internet like YouTube.

While the teaser works as a direct confirmation that Nintendo is working on something related to Pikmin, the company hasn’t yet confirmed whether it is a brand new game in the series, a spin-off title, or even just a more elaborate way to announce a Switch 2 Upgrade pack for Pikmin 4, which is currently available on the Nintendo Switch.

Speaking of which, Pikmin 4 was the last major release in the franchise, having come out on the Switch back in 2023. The title saw a fair bit of critical acclaim, including in our own review, thanks to its introduction of new features, like a space dog named Otachi that helps the players out throughout the game’s various missions. Interestingly, during the time of the game’s release, producer Takeshi Tezuka had also said that fans of the franchise wouldn’t have to wait for too long for the next game in the franchise.

The Pikmin franchise might be a niche one, but since its first release in 2001 on the GameCube, the series has been a fan-favourite owing to how well it mixes up real-time strategy gameplay with clever puzzles and fun stories.

The teaser largely revolves around a baby, left alone in its room by its mother, having its pacifier pop out of its mouth and being carried away by unknown means and the baby trying to chase it down. This is accompanied by a piano-centric musical score that emphasises the various beats of the tiny story being told throughout the teaser of a baby learning how to walk.

While the teaser itself might not include much to indicate that it is for a new Pikmin project, Nintendo has released another version that actually confirms the connection on its Nintendo Today smartphone app. Check it out here. There were some hints already in the teaser, however, aside like the fact that games in the franchise often revolve around tiny creatures moving around real-world objects, as well as a few musical cues from Pikmin’s soundtracks.

While there is no current way to share posts from the Nintendo Today app as of yet, the release of the Pikmin-ised version of the Close to You teaser on the app likely means that Nintendo will be bringing it to the rest of the Internet soon enough.

It is worth noting that Nintendo hasn’t yet confirmed whether this teaser is for a brand new Pikmin game, or if it is for an expansion to Pikmin 4 through a Switch 2 Upgrade pack. The title could also be a spin-off focusing on the side adventures of the eponymous floral creatures.

Back in 2023, Pikmin 4 producer Takashi Tezuka had also mentioned that we won’t be waiting for a new game in the franchise for too long after the fourth game’s release. “We’ll try not to let everyone wait,” he said in an interview.

The last game to have come out in the Pikmin franchise was Pikmin 4 on the Nintendo Switch. The title had become quite popular since its release back in 2023, and has since then sold more than 3 million copies. The title introduced with it a host of new features, including a new space dog, named Otachi, that helps the Rescue Corps to get through the game’s various levels. For more details, check out our review.

The first game in the series released in 2001 on the Nintendo GameCube and focused on the adventures of Captain Olimar, who finds himself crash landing on a mysterious planet. The title was noteworthy for having introduced the concept of a real-time strategy game that could be played entirely with a controller that also focused much of its gameplay on environmental puzzle solving.

The sequel, Pikmin 2, featured Olimar and his partner Louie who go back to the original game’s planet to find rare treasures. The title was critically praised for refining on the original’s foundations while also introducing new and clever gameplay mechanics as well as puzzles. 2013 saw the release of Pikmin 3 on the Wii U, which made use of the console’s unique GamePad controller to give players more control over their Pikmin.

Though there’s no concrete answer on that question yet – there rarely is with Nintendo, after all – it does seem like the company wants to avoid another ten-year gap between instalments. Speaking recently to Eurogamer, when asked if the wait for Pikmin 5 is going to be another long one for series fans, veteran Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka – who recently also served as producer on Pikmin 4 – said, “We’ll try not to let everyone wait.”

Not a concrete confirmation by any means, and sure, it took eight years for Pikmin 4 to release after Nintendo had said it was nearing the completion of development, so you can never really be too sure with this franchise- but there’s certainly cause for optimism, especially given the success Pikmin 4 has enjoyed.

In our review of Pikmin 4, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Pikmin 4 is well worth the long wait, and the best iteration of Nintendo’s unique and charming strategy series to date.” Read the full review through here.