Pikmin Bloom Took Over PAX West While Nintendo Stayed Silent

I just returned from PAX West in Seattle – my first time back since the pre‑pandemic show in 2019 – and I have to say, the vibe this year felt oddly subdued. The halls were crammed with merch tables, the noise level was lower, and there were noticeably fewer flagship titles on display. Big Japanese names like Bandai Namco, Sega, and Konami put up solid stalls, but the overall buzz was missing that unmistakable roar you get when the industry’s heavyweights roll in.

The biggest hole in the lineup? The absence of the three console giants. Sony, Xbox, and yes, Nintendo, all kept a low profile. Sony and Xbox simply weren’t there, and Nintendo’s silence was especially glaring because their U.S. headquarters is practically next door. You’d expect them to at least pop up with a demo or a teaser, but the main Nintendo booth was a ghost.

Strangely enough, one Nintendo property managed to infiltrate every corner of the convention without any official Nintendo presence at all: Pikmin. Specifically, the mobile title Pikmin Bloom was impossible to ignore.

For a quick refresher, Pikmin Bloom launched in 2021 under Niantic’s wing, then shifted to Scopely’s control in 2025 when Niantic sold off its gaming division. It’s a location‑based walking game, a lot like Pokémon GO, but instead of hunting creatures, you’m growing a squad of tiny Pikmin by logging steps. The more you walk, the more Pikmin sprout, the more flowers you plant, and the sillier the hats you can dress them in.

I was one of those early adopters, playing it religiously while I was commuting to a downtown office. When I switched to remote work, the daily step count dried up and, like many, I eventually let the app gather dust. I figured it was destined for the same fate as other Niantic spin‑offs— a brief hype spike and then quiet oblivion. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the game had quietly shut down before PAX.

But reality had a different plan. Scopely went full‑throttle on Pikmin Bloom for this year’s event. The city itself felt like a Pikmin billboard. Seattle buses, light‑rail stations, and even the Westlake Station walls and stairs were covered in vibrant Pikmin ads. I chatted with a few local friends who confessed they’d only noticed the posters a week before the convention— a clear sign the campaign was rolled out just in time for PAX.

Inside the convention center, a modest Pikmin Bloom booth handed out paper crowns shaped like the little green critters. Attendees slipped them on, snapping photos and laughing as the tiny hats bobbed on their heads. It turned into a tiny, unofficial parade— every few steps you’d spot a cluster of people sporting Pikmin caps, snapping selfies, and sharing the moment on socials. In my experience, that was the most consistently visible game property at the entire show.

Why pour that kind of money into a five‑year‑old mobile title? I have no definitive answer, but a few theories float around. One possibility is that Nintendo is planting seeds for a bigger Pikmin announcement— perhaps a new console entry or a fresh tie‑in— and they wanted the brand lingering in everyone’s mind. There was a seasonal in‑game event timed for the show, complete with Oktoberfest‑themed sausage hats and pretzel quests, but that alone doesn’t justify the advertising blitz.

Regardless of the motive, it worked. I found myself reinstalling the app on a whim, scrolling through the newer content, and admiring how the hats have gotten even cuter. The game has added layers of collection and challenges since my last playthrough, making it feel fresh enough to give it another go.

In the end, Nintendo pulled off a clever feat: the most noticeable advertising at PAX without stepping foot on the floor. Whether that’s a prelude to a major Pikmin reveal or just a savvy marketing experiment, it certainly got me (and probably many others) to notice again.