Delivering a rude shock to fans looking forward to Pikmin 3, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto has disclosed that the game will not comprise an online multiplayer component. Apparently, it is ‘very difficult’ to implement this feature into the title owing to Internet constraints. This raises a fresh debate about whether the Wii U’s Nintendo Network will really be able to deliver PSN and Xbox Live-like attributes.
Mario-creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who’s also working on Pikmin 3, has revealed to IGN that while the game will comprise local co-op, online co-op won’t be available. This new game for the Wii U was showcased by Nintendo for the first time at this year’s E3. It will be a direct sequel for 2004’s Pikmin 2 which was launched exclusively for the GameCube.
“You have to be very careful that you don’t drop frames as you’re trying to sync up with other players over what could be a very great physical distance, over the internet. But in the situation of Pikmin, for example, since you would have lots of individual, small creatures, the Pikmin, whose every movement and location is going to be really important in the game, it would be very difficult to sync up over an internet connection. So I think what we’ve decided to do is focus on the single-player and local multiplayer aspects, which are really fun. But unfortunately, no online multiplayer for Pikmin 3. But the co-op local multiplayer is really fun,” Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, told the website.
Like its name suggests, this game will be the third installment to the popular Pikmin series. It is claimed to expand upon the gameplay of the previous titles. The new GamePad controls for the Wii U were also been demonstrated at the E3, where it even came to light that players will be able to make use of four leaders instead of two. New kinds of Pikmin have been confirmed to form part of the game.
Pikmin 3 is still to be dated, but it is expected to come out as a launch title for the Wii U.