Shigeru Miyamoto says he’s “on a mission to try to include Pikmin in any kind of Nintendo product we put up”

It’s no secret that Pikmin is Shigeru Miyamoto’s baby. Miyamoto was also responsible for the likes of Mario and Zelda, but he’s always had a soft spot for the plant-animal hybrid creatures.

Even when Pikmin wasn’t lighting the sales charts on fire, Miyamoto never gave up on Pikmin. The series has now seen four different titles and is popping up elsewhere. You may have spotted Pikmin at Super Nintendo World, and now the creatures even have a cameo appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

In a recent IGN interview, Miyamoto was asked if Pikmin in the new film was something that he requested. He said in response:

“Now I wouldn’t say a request (to put Pikmin in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie). More like a mission. I’m on a mission to try to include Pikmin in any kind of Nintendo product we put up. And obviously Pikmin can be appearing anywhere, but the idea, the setting of Galaxy really lends itself to having Pikmin be there as part of the world. And so I was waiting in anticipation for what kind of ideas came from illumination.”

If you’re interested in exploring Pikmin further yourself, the entire series can be played right now on Nintendo Switch.