Nintendo announced that their next mobile game project will be a Pikmin title, but there are still plenty of Nintendo franchises left that need the mobile treatment. Obviously, this isn't the first mobile Nintendo game, but there's still plenty of time and space for more.
The majority of these games have dominated the mobile app market places and, in the case of Pokemon Go, have gone on to become a bit of a cultural phenomenon. It shouldn't be any surprise that a Pikmin mobile game is being developed, but with all of the franchises Nintendo has at it disposal, it is a surprise that it's coming before so many others have had their shot.
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To some fans, the Zelda series is equal in popularity to Nintendo's own Mario franchise (if not more so). When Nintendo first announced that they would be developing mobile titles, fans were curious about when a game based on The Legend of Zelda would be coming and how it work. While there's still been no official announcement, there were rumors floating around on the internet that Nintendo was developing a Zelda mobile entry.
The most exciting thing about a mobile game based on The Legend of Zelda, is that it could result in just about any kind of game. It could be a gacha title similar to Fire Emblem Heroes, or a multiplayer focused title along the vein of Tri Force Heroes. There's even a chance that it could make use of the dungeon creation mode found in the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The potential is nearly limitless.
Like Zelda, the Kirby franchise is almost too famous to not receive its own mobile entry. The series is a huge part of Nintendo's legacy and Kirby is an almost instantly recognizable (and incredibly cute) character. As a series well known for being accessible to younger players, a mobile game would be a great way to help them become acquainted with interactive media.
The Kirby series is one that spans across all different genres from fighting games to racing titles. It wouldn't be off-brand for a Kirby game to take on a brand new appearance with a unique style of gameplay for a mobile game. While it would likely start off on the easy side to draw in new players, most Kirby fans know that Kirby games can scale pretty high in difficulty while giving completionists a real exercise. A mobile game likely wouldn't be any different.
While fans continue to wait for the highly anticipated Metroid Prime 4, a mobile entry in the Metroid series may be just what the franchise needs to hold fans over and hopefully, draw in new ones. Mobile games can not only prove to be especially lucrative, often contributing new console titles based on the existing property, but they can also draw in an entirely new crowd who may not have known that the franchise even existed.
A Metroid mobile game could give Nintendo a chance to take the Metroid series in a new direction without losing its core audience. Metroid titles rarely get to explore different genres or focus on new characters and stories apart from Samus and her bounty hunting adventures. A mobile game might be what's needed to expand the Metroid universe in ways like never before.
So far, some of Nintendo's mobile games have been met with overwhelming success. Titles like Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp have continued to bolster the popularity of their respective franchises. A Pikmin mobile game is certainly exciting, but there are still so many other franchises that fans would love to be able to play on their mobile devices as well.
A Pikmin mobile game is in development by Niantic, set to release in 2021.