Pikmin 4 retail listing gives a May 23 release date

Nintendo’s Pikmin 4 has been spotted on the site of Greek retailer Game Explorers, with a release date being given.

The details:

• A listing for Pikmin 4 has appeared on the Game Explorers site, which was first spotted by My Nintendo News, with the game now available for pre-order. The listing includes an apparent release date of May 23, 2023, which has yet to be confirmed or denied by Nintendo.
• In a September 2022 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo gave the game nothing more than a 2023 release window. However, rumors of a Nintendo Direct in the coming weeks suggest that the release date may have been provided to retailers ahead of a public announcement. Another likely possibility is that the date was incorrectly added, as has happened on numerous occasions in the past with other upcoming games.
• Pikmin 4 has been in development for about eight years, with its predecessor releasing on the Wii U in 2013. Outside of the game's announcement, Nintendo has been relatively quiet in terms of information, with no gameplay or story revealed as of yet. If the rumors of a Direct are true, we'll almost certainly see something from Pikmin 4 in the show.

What else is going on at Nintendo?

• The gaming giant will not be present at this year’s E3, with sources claiming that it "feels it doesn't have enough major releases ready to show that would justify significant event space." Many are surprised by this, as Nintendo has previously attended the majority of E3 events, even in its worst years, but the absence could be an indication that the company will shift all focus to their online Direct events.
• Nintendo Switch production will increase during the next fiscal year to prepare for possible sales spikes from the May release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Despite global parts shortages, the Switch led the industry in total console unit sales in the United States in 2022, thanks to new mainline Pokemon and Splatoon entries.
• According to the Japanese publication Nikkei, Nintendo is in talks with manufacturers about a successor to the Switch. There isn't much information available about the talks or the console itself, but we could see it as early as mid-2024.