During today's special Splatoon-themed Nintendo Direct revealed Nintendo's post-launch plans for the game, which includes new levels, modes and weapons.
When the game launches on May 29th there will be five stages available in the online "Turf War" mode: Urchin Underpass, Saltspray Rig, Walleye Warehouse, Blackbelly Skatepark and Arowana Mall. New stages - which we're told will be more complex and demanding - will be introduced every few weeks following release.
Fresh weapons will also be dropped into the game over time, as well as a Ranked Battle mode called Tower Control where the objective is to move a tower deep into enemy territory.
August will bring friend matchmaking so that 4 players to form a team to battle against others. You'll also be able to create private 8-player matches with just people you know. Also part of the August update is a third Ranked Battle mode called Rainmaker - of which little is known so far - as well as more gear for your inkling to wear.
It's encouraging to see Nintendo is already thinking of how to support Splatoon post-release - will this make your purchasing decision even easier? Let us know by posting a comment.
Comments 48
Are we not still waiting for promised content for Smash Bros.? Miiverse level and online tournaments?
why not include everything from the beginning?
Getting more excited about this game ,in fact I've come over all "emulsional" (sorry!) am pleased that additional stages and weapons will be added throughout the year ,free of charge? , I think there will be plenty of stuff to get our teeth into. its a shame that the demo can only be played a few times for just an hour though.
Er... This is the first time their post launch updates sound like they REALLY should be there at launch. Some of those are so basic for an online multiplayer game. The question is, did they run out of time, or purposefully holding stuff back so they have 'new' content?
@Captain_Gonru Pretty sure they explicitly said they would be free updates in the UK direct. I wouldn't expect any less seeing as some of those stages that are held back have been in trailers since January. Be pretty shady practices if they charged
Pretty excited about the extended support to keep the game fresh and up the replay value.
I'll admit, some of those DO seem like something I'd expect to be in the game at the start, but the idea of getting new stuff added every few weeks for free does sound appealing to me.
@Datasun_7
Yes, it said free updates in the US direct as well.
After getting HW in February, the amount of content was overwhelming, so I prefer this measured approach.
Only 5 maps at launch really isn't good enough imo
I'm getting Forza 5 flashbacks after hearing this!
Only five maps and two modes. I was hoping for at least Team Deathmatch or Free for All ink battles.
The Rainmaker mode sounds intriguing im guessing you can make it rain in your paint colour over the whole arena somehow??
I think it's a few things. One, there is enough content to keep people playing for awhile. 5 maps is fine for this type of game where there is a steep learning curve against other real people. There seems to be extensive technique and enough different types of gear and weapons to keep you inventing strategies to deal with them for a long time.
That buys them time to add more things but also do develop maps that really expect experienced players.
On top of this, some of those online features are very smart to unveil over time. Hopefully they can keep up with server loads and give a very smooth experience. Just think how the big online guys always have horrible starting weeks. This way they can build infrastructure and react to how the community actually plays.
Not really seeing any problem here.
If you watched the Direct and didn't see enough depth, I don't know what to tell you. In addition to trying out the nuances of the weapons in different scenarios it looked like hours of just studying gear choices to me, not to mention the very different single-player content.
Bettar this than delaying for christmas I guess
Some people seem to be up in arms (or tentacles ) about the limited stuff in the game but id rather have the game a bit sooner and its not as if we have to pay for more stuff it will be all added free
They should have delayed the game and released it with all the content at once. Every notable online shooter out there has private lobbies, why do we have to wait until July and August, when the hype of this game will inevitably die down, for something any good shooter should have at launch? Unfortunately, I think Spatoon will flop.
@A01 There's a difference between releasing a game when it's in a truly unfinished state, as in it still has significant bugs that affect gameplay, and releasing a polished, fully functioning game with extra content to be added later.
@Dr_Corndog yeessssss educate the entitled gamers.
In the Direct, he said, lets show you 5 levels to start with. I would be very surprised if there were/are not more levels included with the game. The fact they did not show them all, is nothing new. When a new CoD is announced, they NEVER show all the maps. It is traditional to hold stuff back, as you would not have anything NEW to look forward to.
I'm with everyone else saying that the game is clearly unfinished. However, they NEED at least one Summer game for the Wii U so they clearly could not have delayed this any longer. One ranked battle mode to start off with? Really Nintendo? This game looks incredible and has SO much potential but Nintendo is shooting themselves in the foot yet again.
Yes, these are free updates. But that's really nothing to be happy about since they should have been included day 1. Turf Wars and Splat Zones are only going to be exciting for so long...
People dont sem to understand there is a difference between launching in a truly unfinished state and holding out on certain features for the sake of infastracture. Now if it ended up releasing as a bug filled glitch ridden mess then I might say its unfinished
I hate to say it but it seems like they've rushed for release,They should've moved Yoshi a month early and let this come out late June with the updates to give you the extra levels,weapons and modes,where the MK8 dlc was extra on a full game,This feels like you get 60% now 40%later.
After this direct I'm gonna try the demo. But without voice chat team or party, local multiplayer, team matchmaking, custom games. I will probably not even consider picking this up until August! If I even do anymore, the creators of this game just can't do anything right!
@Tsurii897 Big difference here is that the updates are FREE.
@dkxcalibur - shh, nobody is supposed to remember that 50 things video only delivered 48 things
@rjejr That's my only problem with Nintendo promises. They do eventually release the stuff they say their going to, you just don't know when that's going to happen.
@aaronsullivan @Tsurii897 @Peach64
I think you're all (I picked out you 3 b/c I know you 3 but it applies to everyone else as well) missing the bigger picture here regarding the "summer" DLC listed into August.
Wii U 2015 NA release schedule:
May - Splatoon
June - nothing
July - nothing
August - nothing
September - Mario Maker
Now replace all the "nothing"s w/ Splatoon free DLC levels and weapons and tournaments. It's obvious - to me at least - that Nintendo is going all in on this game all summer long. The tv commerical, the late June bundles in the UK. How much of that is desperation and how much of that is planned I don't know, but I bet if Zelda U was coming out in July we woudln't be hearing about all of these "summer" and "August" expansions to the game.
Nintendo might as well make a big banner "Summer of Splatoon" b/c thats all the Wii U has to offer. Why EU is getting Yoshi in June but the US is waiting until "fall" I don't know. Maybe that's why Spaltoon is cheaper in EU, so people have money left over for Yoshi and those amiibo as well?
@Captain_Gonru - "only planned through "Summer 2015""
Oops, should have included you in on that last post as well, apologies.
It's #34 in case I get going on a roll again.
Yeah, this game doesn't seem finished and the extra content gives me the same impression as on disc DLC. But at least unlike the rest of the industry, Nintendo isn't charging us for the content that should've been there in the first place, so it's not a horrendous ripoff like most games are. The value just isn't going to be there at launch.
@rjejr That is the schedule that we know, but they also announced today that Project Giant Robot is set to arrive along with Star Fox and Devil's Third. Just because nothing is currently announced in those months does not mean nothing will be released then.
If they are to believed, we still have Splatoon, Xenoblade, Star Fox, Yoshi's Woolly World, Project Giant Robot, Mario Maker and Devil's Third this year.
The game sounds like it will have plenty of content for launch, when did everyone start whining so bad? Picture this : the game launches with 1000 maps - would that make it better? No, it would make it a lot worse. This is an online shooter with enormous focus on knowing the maps and how to get around, including too many maps would just overwhelm people. The content feed sounds phenomenal in my opinion, you're all degenerating into brats.
@Warebeard No one's asking for 1000 maps and 300 game modes, but 5 and 2 (really 1 until the user base is "good enough") is the opposite extreme, that's too little variety to be satisfying Day 1, and you'll probably get bored of it in a matter of weeks. They should've had at least 8-10 maps and 5 or 6 game modes at launch.
As long as the rainmaker mode doesn't include convoluted time travel plotlines I will be fine.
Just a quick note about the comparison with Star Wars Battlefront: The main difference is that the locations of the Star Wars universe are iconic and people have a deep emotional connection with a lot of them. Not being able to play many those right away is disappointing for true fans. There is no such emotional investment with Splatoon stages, so the reaction is more relaxed.
So the difference in reaction is not necessarily a sign of hypocrisy.
I love free stuff!
Now how about an optional voice chat update???
@Tsurii897 - " I will play Yoshi"
Yeah, my argument doesn't hold up quite as well w/ Yoshi being available in June, and E3 may have something for the US - Project Giant robot maybe? - but they really are going all out on this all summer long.
After reading your comment I will go back and look to see what is in there on day 1. I'm mostly interested in the single player and offline w/ my kids so that's where my attention has been focused up to now.
It would explain why they have a big BUY NOW button on the front of the beta testing app, they want people to buy it before we've had a chance to think about it.
@Darknyht - "this year"
There may be plenty of games in the fall, but I think the DLC is there fill in for the lack of games over the summer. Though I sitll don't understand why all of the EU adn UK can get Yoshi in June but the US doesn't even have a date yet. How much translation is there to do in a Yoshi game? That makes no sense. And Mario Maker in Sept means probably no Yoshi until Oct. We could at least get it in Aug.
As for E3 we'll see. I'm expecting several new game announcements for the holidays, but not for the summer. Games need a few months hype before they release.
Eh, that's just one less map than TF2 had at launch, but I don't know how similar each map will be (the launch maps of TF2 spanned 4 different game modes, and some are massive, multi-staged, etc) but if they are unique enough, I'm sure they'll be fine for a few weeks. Nintendo will need to get that content out quickly and consistently, but they aren't charging for it, so I'm not going to complain.
Plan on getting this, but not a Day 1 purchase anymore. I have no fun playing against random people I don't know or can't talk to. There are people out there who only buy these games with the intention to ruin the online experience for others. So when the "friend lobbies" feature gets released, that's when I'll most likely buy the game.
Voice chat is not an issue, since my friends and I all use skype when playing online games with each other.
I think it's funny how people see five maps (to start with) as a bad thing. Whenever I play Call of Duty with friends, we only EVER play on Nuketown (specifically Black Ops II) or, like, two other maps over and over...because we like them.
On top of that, Nintendo put a make-every-stage-Final-Destination button in Smash Bros. I see how it's not the same because there are over 30 stages in Smash Bros, but still...
Its not free updates, its more of a case of getting the rest of the full game when its ready. You know, the sort of thing you guys give other developers hell over.
It's good to have these extra features in the future, but I think that most of them should have been in the game right from the start.
still needs voice chat, i won't buy it unless they include a voice chat option.
@Bolt_Strike There are also single player and local multiplayer modes. If you talk about online only, keep in mind that Nintendo doesn't know how well the game'll do. If they offer too many modes on launch, they'll risk they'll all end up empty in case it flops.
@Ichiban Yeah, that's why the rest of the game is as polished as it is. Because there was no time, lol. Nintendo is releasing stuff over a period of time to keep your interest in the game. They probably wouldn't even do this, if the install base of the Wii U wouldn't be so small. As it is now it's safe to say only a few people would play the game still after a few weeks, which is the death for every online-centered game. THAT is the reason they are spreading out the content, not because they are not ready.
@scamander Sorry, I forgot its all good when Nintendo does thing kind of thing. What on earth was I thinking? My bad.
@Ichiban This has nothing to do with Nintendo. It's common sense. Sony and Microsoft would do the same with a install base as small as this. And if you want to play the game after a few weeks without waiting 15 minutes to find other players, you should be GLAD they are doing it the way they do.
For people saying delay the game I don't think it will help. This seems to be Nintendo's business plan from the outset as we have seen some of the stages that are being released post launch very early on in development hinting towards the fact they are complete and fully functional, not to mention the Paintbrush weapon that has been present since the second trailer. For what ever reason, whether it be for server stability or to test the waters Nintendo is sticking to this model and I'm not sure if I'm for or against it but I will still get Splatoon as it does despite all this controversy look like a fun game.
So I've seen a number of people saying things like "Oh great free stuff" "It's nice that they are giving free DLC."
I don't see it that way. A) They have a game, they either had a deadline and couldn't make it so changed plans to put out missing content later (OK it is free rather than what other devs have done in the past).
Or B) they plan to give you free then you feel more happy to pay for more DLC later.
Time will tell.
So far I love online but local... sucks. 1v1 is just not worth the time. I'd like to see them work on local and see it merged with online. Don't care if they gotta lower the graphics so the fps will keep up. I like to have many options when it comes to a game. That's what makes a game bad, good, or unbelievable! If they want more money then they need to focus on all the options they can add to the game! BOOM!
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