Splatoon has really come a long way since its initial launch. The Splatoon that we were introduced to back in May was still an excellent game, but a strong argument could be made that the game was uncharacteristically light on content for a Nintendo game. Since then, new maps, game modes, weapons, and apparel have been added to the game on a nearly weekly basis, and this has expanded the game far beyond what it started as.
Game Informer recently spoke with Yusuke Amano and Hisashi Nogami – the Director and Producer, respectively – to talk about the support the game has been receiving and what's next for Splatoon, naturally asking many interesting questions.
The first question asked was why the game launched in the state that it did and Amano claimed it was a method of 'training' players by piecing content out in a way that would allow them to place more emphasis on each piece of content.
Amano: So when myself and Mr. Sakaguchi were coming up with the idea for Splatoon, we knew that this was going to be a new type of online game and different from preexisting shooters. Regarding the decision to release Splatoon with what might be considered to be a smaller set of content at the beginning, our goal in making that decision was to raise a user base that would understand the game's mechanics solidly and therefore be able to participate even more exciting online battles. We really wanted to prioritize training the user base to learn the fundamentals because we thought that would create the most satisfying experience for everyone.
The short single player campaign was also mentioned, and it doesn't seem like that will be receiving any sort of update. That being said, Amano feels that it could do with some improvement, so perhaps we might see a large update.
Amano: When we envisioned the single player mode, we saw it as a way of teaching those game mechanics I mentioned earlier to players and as something they would be able to take with them into multiplayer mode in the game. One thing with the single-player mode is that it was sort of a way to expand the world view of Splatoon – the sort of story, if you will – that we weren't able to do in the multiplayer mode. Regarding any kind of spin-off or expansion, rather than just releasing additional stages for the single player mode, if we wanted to do something like that, I would want to make it a larger scale update. There were elements of the single-player mode that I wasn't completely satisfied with myself.
Nogami: I really think that there's a strong connection between the two modes in the game. So we don't actually have any plans to just release a single player spin-off of the game itself due to the strength of that connection.
In terms of the updates that regularly drop, it seems like these will primarily just be focused on adding new content to the game, rather than making system level changes, such as expanding available map options or adding voice chat.
Amano: After this update in January, we will of course continue to support bug fixes and balance changes to the game where we feel they are necessary. With map rotation, this is something that we envisioned from the beginning of development of the game. The idea that players would have two maps on which to play and you would take one weapon into the map and figure out the best way to move about the map and learn the ins and outs of each stage. We don't have any immediate plans to change that. Thinking forward, this is something that would really affect the structure of the game. It is something that we consistently continue to see users discussing. It's perhaps something we will start to think about as a challenge, and we would need to think of the best ways to solve that challenge, but we don't have any immediate plans to take that on.
They also touched on the concept of paid DLC, effectively shutting the door on that possibility. While we should never completely rule anything out, it seems that largescale DLC support will come to an end in January.
Nogami: As we mentioned earlier, the free content for the game will continue to release until January 2016 and we don't have plans to release paid DLC after that.
What do you think? Are you pleased with the support Splatoon has received so far? Would you have liked to see paid DLC? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source gameinformer.com]
Comments 60
I wonder if that means that say I buy the game after January I won't be able to get the free DLC. I hope not because that would suck
I wonder if that means that say I buy the game after January I won't be able to get the free DLC. I hope not because that would suck
You should be able to get the DLC.
@Pokefanmum82 Nope, all of the added content is more of an update than actual DLC. You're required to update your game to play online, so everyone gets everything.
You guys missed Nintendo's announcement of the last two stages on Twitter earlier. They made a video about it too.
@Pokefanmum82 It's NintendoLife that's using the term "DLC support". It's content updates that aren't optional. You will not be able to play Splatoon online unless you have the latest version update.
They need to promise to leave us with a local multi-player mode for turf wars after the servers go.
@GLA that is impossible on the Wii U's hardware. Otherwise they would have implemented it instead of a balloon popping game.
I like the way they have released this game, I hope they are working ob something good for NX
Have they released all the contents at launch and gave the option to choose maps, I would have been bored with it after 6 months and only played a few favorite maps with a high win rate for me and moved on to another game. The drip-feed contents keeps the game fresh and interesting while not giving the option to choose maps taught players to adapt and kept the community as one.
To think I only payed £25 for this,what a bargain! I've had hundreds of hours of gaming bliss out this and still 6 months later it's being expanded and fine tuned.I've barely even used the majority of weapons or experimented with the gear combos.Xenoblade and FAST Racing have kept me away from it recently though but not for long,I'll be back.
The only real thing I would like to have extra is the option to change the weapon when new stage starts (and of course see which one will be the next)
The manner in which this game has been released, and updated - is perfect! I have been able to concentrate on honing skills and techniques relevant to each map as we have been given sufficient time to do so without excessive flipping between random maps!
The Multiplayer is, of course, superb, and I can only imagine how high level the gameplay must get when you have 4 team members in the same room communicating a strategy with each other against a similar team/
At the moment - it is a bit too easy to lose a level through errant team members with their own ( sometimes unbelievable) strategy. . .
I just want to thank these gentlemen for one of the finest and most fun games I've ever played. What they have come up with is so intuative, unique, and absolutely family friendly. My hope is that they continue to refine and build on the wonderful mechanics and world they have created; either on the game we have or new iterations. Splat👀n on!
I think this to push all the resources onto making a sequel, perhaps a NX launch title?
At the same time, isn't this by one of the new teams set up by Nintendo specifically to produce new IP using young developers? If so then I'm interested to know what the others are working on.
@Splatburst What he said...
The amount of content in Splatoon at launch was just appalling with only a few maps and no ranked battles. It's also bad how they decided to hold content back purely because they felt the players weren't good enough. It would have been much better if they released all the content that was ready at launch such as ranked mode, then released new content as it was created.
Also, it looks like the amiibo missions will never be sold as paid DLC. Having that option to unlock those missions would have been great since those extra missions add much needed content to the single player, but paying more than the price of Splatoon itself for those missions is ridiculous.
The amount of content now on the game is impressive, and it's been great fun to play all the new content.
I'm definitely satisfied with how much content they have added over the past months Splatoon has been out for. The only thing still missing, in my opinion, is playable Octolings. I mean, they did update the Octoling models silently in past updates, and that has to mean something.. right?
Or maybe they were just experimenting and never took the updated Octoling stuff out of the updates, and just never made them playable because they have trouble getting around the hair/tentacle clipping issue.
Regardless, playable Octolings or not, Splatoon turned out to be one amazing game and I'm really happy with what the final product turned out to be/will be. It's my second-game-of-the-year, only after Yoshi's Woolly World!
@crimsontadpoles Actually I got to disagree, in retrospect I think they made the right choice.
"We really wanted to prioritize training the user base to learn the fundamentals because we thought that would create the most satisfying experience for everyone."
This! I enjoyed the game a lot more through the excitement of every new map/mode/weapon/gear that was released and I think it also was better building your skills on a limited environment. That way I could appreciate every bit of it more and that created a lot of memories that I won't forget.
When someone now picks this game up, they have a lot of levels, modes, weapons and gear available to them, which can either overwhelm them (even experienced gamers, I have seen it among friends) or lead to less appreciation for every single element.
So in retrospect I'm very glad they took this path and released the content slowly. I doubt I would've put 300 hours in this beautiful game otherwise.
And btw, my personal GOTY-list:
1. Splatoon
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X
3. GTA V/ GTA Online (PC)
4. Affordable Space Adventures
5. Fast Racing Neo
6. Football Manager 15 (PC)
7. Mario Maker
8. Runbow
9. Rocket League (PC)
10. Yoshi's Wooly World
Can't wait forSplatoon 2.
You didn't mention what they said about "voice chat". I found their reasoning for its omission pretty pathetic.
Perhaps you're saving that topic for a separate article.
@Yosher
Maybe the playable Octolings will be on Splatoon 2. That would be the best thing to do. Explore a bit of their story, or maybe focus on it in the single player mode.
@Sligeach That reasoning regarding no voice chat has been mentioned and discussed a thousand times before.
I did notice before that the new maps were increasingly challenging as they were being released. Mahi-Mahi Resort for instance requires a lot of skills that I just did not have when the game launched.
Not even a full year and official support is already ending? On an always-online game? Hmmph.
@BaffleBlend You probably should read the article.
"With map rotation, this is something that we envisioned from the beginning of development of the game. The idea that players would have two maps on which to play"
Uhh, really? Does this mean they aren't going to increase the stage rotation to 3?! WTF? I thought for sure they would be doing that soon, especially as the number of stages is about to hit it's final(?) 16 total. I know this has been one of the biggest complaints about the game in the community. It seems like such an easy thing for them to implement. This is frustrating and disappointing.. :
I bet they're moving to development on a new Splatoon game for NX.
@BaffleBlend
Did you actually read the interview dude? DLC ends in January, but they will continue to support the game with updates after that.
@Shigmin I suspect that is true as well. Being that the game has been such a huge success for Nintendo, they will probably being given a longer development window and bigger budget as well. It's probably a good 2-3 years away, but I predict Splatoon 2 will be incredible and improve on the first game in every way. To clarify, that's not to say this one isn't great!
When I saw Nintendo's video about the two new (and apparently final) DLC arenas this morning, I wondered when they'd stop doing additional content for the game. A bit earlier than I anticipated but I am just grateful that we've got as much stuff as we got. Honestly, I think they've done an amazing job with the game thus far. Sure hope they'll do a Splatoon 2 eventually - this time with local multiplayer please! And voice chat!
I wasn't convinced by the explanation of the two map rotation, I still think that has to be increased to three.
I'm 100% ok with how Nintendo has handled splatoon. I don't need training...but I understand and did enjoy the limited maps at the beginning, and with how they rotate. I would rather see a splatoon 2 for nx then paid Dlc. For me, most Nintendo games are games you play off and on for years. This got lots of use for s while, but now I just play it when I'm in the mood. I am amazed that anyone can just sit and get 400something stars in sm3d without stopping. I am always picking away at them. I'm in the 300s and j will finish before the nx one. There's just too many games.
@GoldenGamer88
I agree voice chat would be nice, and also two player local online multiplayer. I miss sitting next to friends and playing online together like in COD or something!
Also I feel like an easy and excellent addition to this game would be capture the flag!! It sems like common sense to me!
I wish they would let you lock your gear to certain levels. So when the game offers you the two levels - you select the a gun for one level - and a sniper rifle for the other level - and as the game chooses one level - it switches your equipment. I use two different weapons depending on the level - and sometimes the game chooses a level that i'm not good at with the weapon I have. Sort of weird.
It had to end eventually. It went on longer than most season passes, and it had more content than most passes too. Hopefully they have one more big thing left.
Nooooooooooo!
I love this game so much! So inkredibly much, so I still want more content, and I want new content to continue to drop for another 5-6 months!
But since this probably will not happen, please just start developing an NX sequel, Nintendo.
My son & I are still playing every day. Love it, fantastic game, absolutely brilliant
Splatoon is pure genius. I hope to see more of it in the future some time
Yay let's stop adding content for all Nintendo Wii U games as we transition out of the old generation to the new NX generation. Goodbye Wii U; get ready for the rehash wave of NX games as Nintendo begins to sell Deluxe NX versions of all your favorite Wii U games with extra add on content to "justify" a resell. Splatoon WITH Octolings; Smash Bros WITH Inklings, K. Rool, Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario Maker WITH 2-player support and slopes, Mario Kart 8 WITH Battle Arenas. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of this lameness happen, actually.
I'm in the Nintendo did everything right camp with respect to splatoon. On the issue of voice chat, hearing my 7 yr old daughter getting called a BLEEPER repeated in Plants vs Zombies confirmed Nintendo's wisdom. Sure, you can turn it off, but then you are playing at a disadvantage because everyone else is communicating.
Also, I do not think the Octolings will be playable because, conceptually, it does not make sense. The interview seems to support this view when the ties between story mode and turf wars are discussed.
Annoyed that they won't increase the stage rotation 2 just isn't enough when we'll have 16 stages once the new ones are released. As I can't play very often it's annoying to come online when I have the time and not be able to play more than 2 maps in any given mode
@Peterjr1 I always thought it would be increased once we had all the maps but as times passed it doesn't really bother me.The developers reasoning makes sense.I do wish they'd shorten the time between rotations though,2 or 3 hours is enough.
I was satisfied with the game at launch. It was so unique, so 'fresh' and something new that I was hooked from the beginning. The additional content only increased my enjoyment. Splatoon should be here to stay and I hope once the DLC stops in January, the development team gets some vacation and then starts working on Splatoon 2 for the NX!
I love the decision they made about releasing new contents over time rather than most of them at launch to make it a "full game" as some would call it. I would of been playing it way less than I am now, and this is coming from someone who never play ranked battles (still unranked).
Also the training part with releases makes sense now. Hearing about which weapon/skill is op one week, then hearing something else 2 weeks later was too funny. Remember how Rollers (without swinging) was overpowered and Chargers was underpowered, lol.
@Zach777 you must be fun at parties.
@Zach777
I hope everything you said turns out to be true... sounds fun.
Too bad there is no good offline multiplayer That is the only big drawback for this game for me. Can't play with friends in the same room
3 maps at a time would be too much to handle for Nintendo gamers. Everyone knows the more you arbitrarily restrict your player the better your game is. Give them any kind of online convenience and next thing you know they'll want to talk with their friends in-game or something crazy like that.
I don't mind cycling a few maps at a time TOO much, but two is too few. And it doesn't make sense since the display is clearly designed to be the perfect size to show three maps. My hope and naïve belief is that they will enable three maps once all maps have been added and updates cease. That way players have time to learn all the maps well before each one appears less often.
Again Nintendo does not want money. Offer paid DLC? My goodness... Get with the times. If the quality is up there, I will happily pay for DLC.
There's already paid DLC. It's called amiibo.
@Just_Ethan I think they've said that those will still continue for awhile after the updates stop, but I'm not 100%.
This game may be game of the year for me. It is unique, vibrant, innovative in its gameplay and its update approach, and most importantly it is extremely fun.
I hope future games consider this release model, because for certain types of games, this slow drip release really does keep the game interesting, and makes it feel more like a service to which you subscribe than just a game you play until you're bored with it.
@GLA Exactly what I find strange in this game. There will be a less lot appeal remaining when Wii U online services will be shutdown. ANd then, you will only be able to play multiplayer with up to 1 player. (compared to the N64 4players shoot'em up that you can still play in optimal conditions today)
By the time servers go down, the sequel will be out.
@Zach777
That's how a business works. The support of a game over a year to keep it fresh and interesting for players and also for potential customers seeing the news stories pop up is a hugely positive progression for Nintendo and its fans. In the Wii era, you bought it and that's what you got and then it vanished off the scene unless you knew someone who bought it or bought it yourself.
I could see them continue to add free content to entice new customers if the Wii U platform had a wider user base and was growing rapidly. Sadly, that's not the case.
Of course this team of programmers needs to move onto something else whether the NX is arriving soon or not.
As for the assumption that all the NX games are going to be the same Wii U games all over again, I don't know but eventually I think it's likely to see Splatoon come back along with the regulars like Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, and Smash. It has to be tempting to bring the most exciting properties to a new platform with more potential than the Wii U, so it will probably happen, but probably not right away. Pikmin 4 is landing somewhere soon, too, apparently.
Also, the success of Splatoon means probably more Splatoon, but the other lesson learned is that a young team can make a great success at Nintendo with a new IP. I imagine we'll get one or two tries at that formula which means some brand new IP for NX.
I'd also guess that there is some built up angst about not being able to bring some great 3DS games to Wii U because the platforms were too different. So, my hope is for some of those to come around again like Luigi's mansion and Kid Icarus (please!), and Animal Crossing.
Sounds very promising to me, really.
@Zach777 Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Anyways, I actually hope that's what happens with Smash. Absolutely no need to start over from scratch for a new Smash game on NX, especially as it would surely be the swan song and the game that people say they'll pull a Twilight Princess on if they did start over from scratch.
On one hand this is good and on the other hand they should make the content optional for those who don't want it forced on them.
No single player content? Disappointing. Just saying if you guys did? Like expand/multiply tenfold the content we presently have? I will pay you all of my money! Clearly you guys don't want money so, I'm left in the dust with this wad of disposable income wondering just what the heck to do with it...
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