Pikmin was never as popular as Mario or The Legend of Zelda, but it does have its very dedicated and vocal fan base. The latest game in the franchise – Pikmin 3 – is out in less than a month, and Nintendo wants to make sure that everybody gets a chance to discover what makes Pikmin so special before the launch.
Reggie Fils-Aime announced today that Nintendo is partnering with GameStop to make Pikmin 3 available to play at GameStop and EBGames locations in the U.S. and Canada on July 20 and 21. Much like the E3 Best Buy event, this will be your only chance to play Pikmin 3 outside of just outright buying it on August 4.
Reggie also announced a special promotion that will allow gamers to start playing Pikmin 3 a day early. He says that those who preorder the digital version of Pikmin 3 through GameStop will be able to download and play the game on August 3.
Alongside the above announcement, Nintendo also released a new TV commercial for Pikmin 3. It’s not as adorable as I would have liked, but I guess cuteness doesn’t sell in the U.S. anymore.