Skip to main content

Pokémon Go developer’s next Nintendo AR game is Pikmin Bloom

Niantic, the developer of the well-known Pokémon Go, has announced Pikmin Bloom, its latest AR game. The game was teased earlier this year, but there have been few details up to this point. The game will be available on mobile devices in Australia and Singapore starting Tuesday, then on phones worldwide in the coming days. Like Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom will be free to download, but there are few similarities between the two titles.

Pikmin Bloom - Extended Announcement Trailer + Miyamoto (Nintendo Mobile)

While Pokémon Go is focused on competition and the franchise’s classic “gotta catch ’em all” mentality, Pikmin Bloom is more about exploration and savoring everyday life. Players will be able to interact with a variety of Pikmin in AR as they walk throughout their day. The in-game map looks somewhat like Pokémon Go‘s interface, but instead of finding gyms and Poké Stops, players will plant Pikmin along the paths they’re walking on. The Pikmin grow into flowers based on how many real-world steps the player has taken: The more they walk, the more flowers will grow. After the flowers have grown, players can pick them to create even more Pikmin.

Pikmin grow flowers as they walk in a park.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once Pikmin have grown, they can collect items, outfits, and other goodies that allow the player to plant even more flowers. Players will also be able to collaborate with others to create gardens and complete challenges. The goal, as expressed in the game’s trailer, is to fill the (virtual) world with flowers, which can be done by both planting them yourself and walking with your Pikmin.

Recommended Videos

At the end of each day, players can record what they did in an in-game journal and look back at the memories they’ve made while walking. The game will also keep track of the total number of steps taken while playing. It’s not quite the same as a regular Pikmin game, but the massive and widespread success of Pokémon Go will hopefully give Bloom a chance to find its player base.

Pikmin Bloom will be available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store starting November 2.

Emily Morrow
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…
Palworld is coming to mobile despite Nintendo lawsuit
A Tocotoco in Palworld.

Palworld will continue its global dominance thanks to a new partnership with PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton, which hopes to bring the popular survival game to mobile.

Krafton announced the deal on Wednesday, saying that it wouldn't be just porting the game to mobile. Rather, it will be reinterpreting it for mobile platforms through a licensing agreement. PUBG Studios, a subsidiary of Krafton that is the main team behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, will be handling development.

Read more
Pokémon’s new mobile game will bring out the card collector in you
Three phones running Pokemon TCG Pocket.

While the mainstream popularity of the Pokémon Trading Card Game has ebbed and flowed since its launch in 1998, it has always enjoyed a cult following. That's earned it a spot at the top of the genre alongside games like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh. It's grown in popularity and complexity in the past 25 years, evolving from a simple card game that lived alongside the anime and mainline Pokémon video games to having its own obsessive fanbase, competitive scene, and world championship events.

Battling has always been at the core of the Pokémon world, but another aspect of the game has always reigned supreme: catching them all. And that's exactly what Creatures and The Pokémon Company wants to get back to with its new mobile game.

Read more
Pokémon’s new mobile trading card game is coming this October
A Pikachu card displayed on a mobile device. Pikachu is standing on a log in a forest.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Trailer | Preregister Now

You'll soon be able to open Pokémon card packs on your phone. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is set to release on October 30 on Android and iOS, and you can preregister for it now.

Read more