A controversy broke out about the withdrawal of "Pikmin Bloom". A picture of the steps to delete an account was circulated on the Internet, reminding players to first turn off their mobile phone location permissions, and then follow the procedures to apply for permanent account deletion.
[Reporter Dong Baiting/Taipei Report] Walking and planting flowers every day makes players start to worry about their life trajectory? Mobile game "Pikmin" Bloom" (Pikmin) launched a 5th anniversary joint event with Taiwan FamilyMart convenience store on November 10, but was caught by players. The official simplified Chinese version of the announcement marked Taiwan as "Taiwan, China", and even the 2027 Taipei physical event notice showed "Taipei, Taiwan, China" ”, the traditional Chinese version reads “FamilyMart convenience store stores across Taiwan”. The double-labeled name triggered discussion in the community. Many players initiated a withdrawal boycott on Threads and Facebook to stop tuition fees and delete accounts. They also reminded each other to deal with flower planting and GPS location records before deleting the game.
The spending power of Taiwanese players in "Pikmin Bloom" is amazing. In the first half of 2026, it contributed nearly NT$600 million in revenue, accounting for 52% of the total global revenue, firmly ranking as the world's largest market. Many players criticized that the game has not been officially opened for operation in China, but the officials are making money from Taiwanese people while belittling Taiwan in words. It is really unacceptable.
As the controversy rages on, players have also begun to pay attention to the capital structure and personal information security behind the game. "Pikmin" was transferred to Scopely in 2025 with the sale of Niantic's game business, and Scopely is owned by companies affiliated with Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Since the game relies heavily on GPS positioning and walking records, some players are worried that their home locations and commuting routes may be leaked. However, there is currently no concrete evidence that the location data of Taiwanese players has been leaked or transmitted to China.
The mobile game "Pikmin Bloom" (Pikmin) features walking and planting flowers. Recently, the words "Taiwan, China" appeared in the official simplified Chinese announcement, causing dissatisfaction and calls for withdrawal from Taiwanese players.
"Teachings on deleting accounts" immediately appeared on the community, and experienced players reminded that before quitting, be sure to turn off location and access permissions in the phone settings, then apply to delete the account from the game and reply to the confirmation letter to truly clear the data. If there are linked accounts, they must also be deauthorized. If you still want to continue playing, it is recommended to change the location permission to "While using the App" to avoid excessive concentration of flowers near your home.
However, online public opinion is also polarized. Some players believe that "protesting is freedom, and continuing to play is also freedom" and that players should not be witch-hunting each other. There are also "flying" players who laugh at themselves and fly to Europe and the United States to hunt mushrooms in the middle of the night every day. "If the other side gets my movement track, they will probably think I am an agent." Some local players joked that they thought the mushrooms at their doorsteps would become easier to grab after the tide subsided, but it turned out that they were still full. They just temporarily retreated from the trap during the day, and the giant mushrooms appeared at 12 o'clock in the evening and entered the trap on time. At present, the official has quietly changed the controversial webpage to display in English Taiwan, but has not yet issued an official explanation.
