Nintendo is releasing a free demo of Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy on November 2, ten days before the game launches on November 12. It was a quiet weekend otherwise: Final Fantasy XIV dated a matchmaking change for North America and Europe, and Phantom Blade Zero passed 4 million copies sold.
Pikmin 4's Switch 2 Edition gets a free demo on November 2, ahead of its November 12 launch
Nintendo aired a Pikmin Day Direct at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET on October 31, warning up front that it had no new game announcements, and marked November 1 as Pikmin Day. Nintendo of America then posted on X that a free demo of Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy will be available on November 2.
What it means for you:
- Launch: November 12 on Switch 2, per Nintendo's store page.
- What's new: Dandori Academy, 72 exam stages released over time that award medals; voice commands for Oatchi through the Switch 2 microphone; sharper visuals in TV and handheld mode; and Dandori Battles with a friend via GameShare, even if they don't own the game.
- Already own Pikmin 4 on Switch: the store page offers an Upgrade Pack, so you don't have to buy the game again.
- Beyond Switch 2: Pikmin Bloom on phones gets Secret Caves this winter, and Nintendo started a Hello! Pikmin short-movie series on YouTube.
Our take: The demo is the right way to judge this one, because Dandori Academy's score-chasing exams are the main addition and not every Pikmin fan wants a challenge mode. Try it before deciding whether the upgrade is worth it to you.
Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.58 brings same-region matching to North America and Europe on November 10
Square Enix said on the Lodestone on November 2 that Patch 7.58, scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, brings same-region player matching, which the Japan data center already has, to the North American and European data centers.
What it means for you:
- Bigger matchmaking pool: the Duty Finder and Party Finder will match you with anyone on your physical data center (North America or Europe as a whole), not just your logical data center, whatever world you're on.
- Long downtime: the maintenance for Patch 7.58 is scheduled to last 24 hours. Square Enix says the exact schedule will be posted in its news once it's final.
- Looking further ahead: the next expansion, Evercold, is dated February 23, 2027, with pre-orders from November 4.
Our take: Wider matching should mean shorter queues for older and less popular duties, which is where smaller logical data centers struggle most. Plan around a full day without the game on November 10.
Phantom Blade Zero sells over 4 million copies in 72 hours
S-GAME said on X on November 1 (7:02 p.m. PT / 10:02 p.m. ET) that Phantom Blade Zero has sold over 4 million copies in 72 hours. The kung fu action RPG launched on October 28 at 7 p.m. PT, according to its launch trailer. The post gives no split by platform.
What it means for you:
- Price: $59.99, or $69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition, on Steam.
- Platforms: PS5 and PC, through Steam and the Epic Games Store. A PS5 physical edition arrives in 2027.
Our take: Four million copies in three days is a strong start for a new single-player action game. If you prefer discs on PS5, you have a long wait ahead.