The game uses AR features, similar to Pokémon GO.

Software developer Niantic has made a name for themselves as the primary developer of Pokémon GO, the augmented reality mobile game where players walk around the real world to catch Pokémon through their smartphone cameras. Pokémon GO has maintained a steady userbase, even through the pandemic, furnishing Niantic with the success and money necessary to pursue new endeavors. One such new endeavor is another AR mobile game, this time based on Nintendo’s Pikmin series.

The new game, titled Pikmin Bloom, allows players to plant virtual flowers as they walk around, which then bloom into the small creatures known as Pikmin. As players harvest Pikmin and walk around with them, they’ll leave trails of flowers as they go. As opposed to the more competitive design of Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom will have a collaborative slant, encouraging players to work together to spread flowers, as well as take pictures and make memories. Completing challenges and planting more flowers awards players with snacks for their Pikmin that change the flowers blooming on their heads, as well as cosmetic items and costumes.

“For both me and everyone at Niantic, helping this app take shape has been a new experience and lots of fun,” prominent Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto said in the game’s first trailer. “My hope is that everyone will be able to create lasting memories together with Pikmin.”

Pikmin Bloom will be gradually rolled out to the entire world starting next Tuesday. It will first go live in Australia and Singapore through the Google Play and Apple App stores, with other territories soon to follow. The game is free to download, though it is not yet clear if there will be any in-game microtransactions.