Nintendo worked on Pikmin prototypes for GBA and 3DS, Pikmin 3 has something for everyone
Speaking with Official Nintendo Magazine at E3 2013, Miyamoto said:
In an interview with ONM, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that Nintendo had once been working on Pikmin versions for the Game Boy Advance and 3DS. Miyamoto wasn’t happy with either, so both were likely sent to the scrapheap. It was with Pikmin 3 that Miyamoto “felt like I was able to create the Pikmin game that I wanted to create.”
“We did actually create versions of Pikmin on 3DS and Game Boy Advance, but they were versions that I wasn’t really happy with until we came to this version on the Wii U and I finally felt like I was able to create the Pikmin game that I wanted to create.”
Miyamoto also spoke about how Pikmin 3 is the type of game that everyone can find something to enjoy:
“Pikmin 1 as you recall was around a 30 day time limit and it was designed to be a game that you played within that 30 days and discovered the story, and what we were hoping was that players would use that limit and set their own objectives. So maybe I want to beat it within 30 days or beat it within 20 days or beat it without having a single Pikmin die. But what we found is that people would play though it once and not return. With Pikmin 2, what it became was an easier to play Pikmin game, and with Pikmin 3 we wanted to try and broaden the appeal of the gameplay. So if you’re someone who likes to go after high scores there’s something for you there, or if you want to explore the world and play through the story you can do that, or for people who want to use the multiplayer there’s something for you there, too. And so Pikmin 3 has really become sort of a version of Pikmin that, regardless of what your personal play style preferences, you’ll be able to find something in there for you.”