Pokémon Go developers' Pikmin game enters public testing

The Pikmin AR game by Pokémon Go developer’s Niantic has begun testing in Singapore.

The new game was only recently announced, but it’s full steam ahead for the Pikmin AR mobile app as the Niantic Twitter account announced that testing has begun in Singapore. If you’re in Singapore and you’re interested in participating, you can head over to the Pikmin AR app sign up page to register your interest.

The Pikmin AR app was announced just over a week ago, as part of a renewed partnership between Niantic and Nintendo to jointly develop mobile apps. So far, there's no official name for the app, but whatever it ends up being called, this new Pikmin app will be the debut title for Niantic’s Tokyo studio, which was set up in April 2018.

We’re also light on details as to what you’ll actually be doing in the Pikmin AR app, but some information is already circulating. According to Eurogamer, it's a more "passive outdoor experience" than Pokemon Go, but walking generates Step Energy, which lets you grow, name, and feed Pikmin from seedlings. You can then send your new friends out to encourage more Pikmin to grow, gathering fruit and spreading petals. 

The Pikmin franchise has been seeing something of a resurgence in the past year.  Pikmin 3 Deluxe Edition arrived back in October, and was a welcome update for a criminally underrated Wii U title. Prior to that though, it had been seven years since a mainline Pikmin game, with only the 2017 3DS entry Hey! Pikmin to tide fans of the series over. Here’s hoping that Pikmin AR game is a rousing success and we see another mainline entry for the series. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to hearing more about the Pikmin AR game in the coming months. 

While you’re waiting for the Pikmin AR game to come to your region, why not check out our list of the best Nintendo Switch games.