The recently-released Switch port ofPikmin 2has removed the name brands from the game, effectively taking out the product placement that was present in the original release. For the uninitiated, thePikmingames are about a group of explorerswho look for treasure on a mysterious planet that is heavily implied to be Earth.
InPikmin 2, players take control of Captain Olimar and his partner Louie as they collect “treasure” in the form of various everyday, real-world items. This includes things like Duracell batteries, Skippy Peanut Butter, Yoo-Hoo, A&W Root Beer bottle caps, and much more. While people tend to dislike product placement in video games, it worked forPikmin 2and for many, it was part of the game’s charm. Unfortunately for those that enjoyed the product placement inPikmin 2, it’s all been sliced out for the Switch port.
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Nintendo recently shadow dropped Switch portsof bothPikminandPikmin 2. The games are basically the same as fans remember, but with HD graphics so they look sharper running on the Switch and newer TVs. However, all the brand names and product placement has been removed fromPikmin 2and replaced with generic objects. This will no doubt disappoint purists who were hoping for a truly authenticPikmin 2experience on the Switch, but others will likely appreciate that they can play the critically-acclaimed game on a modern platform at all.
Notably, this isn’t the first time that Nintendo has portedPikmin 2to another platform. A Wii version ofPikmin 2was released in 2009 in most territories, though those in North America had to wait until 2012 to get their hands on the game. TheWii version ofPikmin 2was mostly unchanged, but it added motion controls to the mix. It’s possible that the North American version of the Wii port took longer to come out due to Nintendo needing to regain licensing rights for the brand name products, but that’s just speculation at this time.
It would make sense that Nintendo would want to avoid having to re-license all these brand name products again for anotherPikmin 2port. It’s possible that the Big N will want to avoid similar headaches in the future, so it will be interesting to see if theupcomingPikmin 4has any brand names of its own.
We know from thePikmin 4trailersthat have been released so far that the new game does at least have Nintendo products for players to collect as “treasure,” like a Game Boy Advance console, for instance.Pikminfranchise fans will find out what else the game has in store when it launches on July 21.
Pikmin 2is available on the GameCube, Wii, and Switch.
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