Pikmin 3 has been delayed. During a Nintendo Direct briefing today, a company representative revealed that the Wii U real-time strategy game will launch during the second quarter of 2013. This means it is now expected sometime between April and June of next year.

Previously, Pikmin 3 was scheduled to release during Nintendo's Wii U "launch window" period, which spans November 18, 2012-March 31, 2013. No rationale for the delay was provided, and a company representative was not immediately available to comment.

Pikmin 3 for the Wii U was announced during Nintendo's 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo briefing in June. It is a direct sequel to 2004's GameCube title Pikmin 2 and introduces new features like a Rock Pikmin, which can be used to destroy hard objects.

The game is fully playable with just the Wii U GamePad, but can also be directed with a Wii MotionPlus controller. Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto said the game skipped online multiplayer because having numerous small creatures onscreen at once would present problems when syncing up over an Internet connection.

For more on Pikmin 3, check out GameSpot's preview from E3 2012.