Nintendo’s Close to You Pikmin shorts spark buzz, but don’t expect Pikmin 5 just yet
Nintendo quietly lit up the community with Close to You, a pair of bite-sized animated shorts that had fans hunting for clues about a new Pikmin game. Keen-eyed viewers first noticed faint Pikmin silhouettes, and a follow-up video on the Nintendo Today! app brought the tiny explorers fully into frame. Hype exploded—and then reality set in.
Shortly after the October 7 and 8 premieres, Nintendo clarified that these videos are the first in a new series of brief animations produced by Nintendo Pictures. In other words, they’re creative showcases, not teases for Pikmin 5. As Nintendo leans further into film and non-gaming content, expect more of these small-scale projects that celebrate its worlds and characters without necessarily signaling new game announcements.
Even so, the second short may hint at the kind of storytelling Nintendo Pictures wants to explore. Humans have never truly occupied Pikmin’s world in the games. Pikmin Bloom established that the creatures are invisible to people, and Pikmin 4 in 2023 included a level set in a spotless home seen from a miniature perspective. The baby in Close to You watching objects move on their own fits right into that playful, unseen-interactions motif fans already love.
The bigger picture is clear: Nintendo is expanding its cinematic footprint. After the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the company has been prioritizing film projects in multiple formats. A Mario sequel is on the horizon, with talk of a Super Mario Galaxy movie, a Zelda film, and likely a Donkey Kong feature also in the pipeline. Industry watchers even speculate that games for the next-generation Switch could align more closely with these films, creating tighter crossovers between theaters and consoles.
For Pikmin faithful, the takeaway is simple. There’s no new mainline game announcement yet and no full-length Pikmin film—at least for now. But the Close to You shorts showcase how Nintendo Pictures can expand beloved franchises through charming, character-driven vignettes. If this is the template, fans can look forward to more imaginative looks at the Pikmin universe while they wait for official news on what’s next.
