Splatoon's Last Splatfest is Next Month

It's been a blast, Splatoon. I'm proud to have been involved in, um, 11? 12? Something. Well, whatever. Go team Marie! And see you on the NX after!

EDIT - On a separate note, think the new amiibo coming out that basically turn the plaza into Splatfest has anything to do with this? At least a little to make programming a bit easier?

The last?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEIXUNKA9NY

So are Nintendo giving up on Splatoon then? I must admit, though I loved playing, the lack of any social element to the game made me drift away over time. Whereas in Counterstrike and Eve-Online, I made friends and joined teams, and that made me come back month after month, and provided the higher level end-game beyond just ever increasing stats.

Wow Nintendo ain't supporting anything Wii U anymore, eh?

@JamesCoote To be fair, they will need to focus on Spla-two-n and making up ideas for its splatfests. And they have done 15 Splatfests. Some of which different! How could they possibly keep that "fresh"?

Also, I think the amiibo as @MasterGraveheart mentioned could have a play in this

The game just got it's first anniversary last month and they already think of dropping support on it. ANd when NX will come out Splatoon will almost be 2 years old. So what will happen after the last Splatfest ?

It's been fresh Splatoon!

It's been fun! Voice Chat in the next installment, PLEASE!

Is it really so hard for them to keep Splatfests going another while?

It doesn't really bother me as I haven't played the game outside of a Splatfest for over 6 months. And only then would I play one where the theme was interesting which were very few. The Spongebob theme was good. But there also was some terrible ones.

@MarinoKadame Dropping support near 1st anniversary is pretty normal for Wii U games that have support post-launch. MK8 DLC stopped in late April 2015, Smash DLC ended in February 2016, now Splatoon content (counting Splatfests and the free updates as content) ending July 2016. The final situation I imagine would be a final Super Mario Maker update around August/September, maybe adding slopes and a few other things.

I know Hyrule Warriors is an exception but you can count the situation as 2 segments totaling about a year (September 2014 to March 2015, March 2016 to November 2016)

I haven't played much Splatoon the last few months. I guess I'd better take my chance to clock up a few more hours before they turn the servers off.

I'm very sad that they won't be doing splatfests anymore. I didn't participate in each and every one of them but I like the idea of a weekend here and there, where many players go online.

Hopefully the game will still be played by many gamers in the next months or even years. When I bought it, I knew that someday the plug will be pulled. But I hope that won't be until 2018.

@Grumblevolcano Now that makes sense! And Nintendo are only stopping event-support. They stopped doing content ages ago with the latest content being only really an encore rather than the start of new support.

And yeh, I think that's a good assumption regarding Mario Maker. I love how people instantly start assuming the worst-case scenario.

At least the servers aren't being turned off. That support is still going strong

Splatoon arrived at my house literally this morning

@JamesCoote squidboards, various discords and r/Splatoon, that is the Splatoon community and it's decently sized and active. We also have a thread here that was pretty active but has quietened down a bit.

THE LAST SPLATFEST!? But... why...? They were so easy to maintain, I don't understand why they would do this, specially with the new amiibo coming up. I'm really sad.

@agqwestern Late to the party but welcome we still have raving beats and a buffet

So, I get to fight for my squid waifu one last time...

I shall not let you down Callie!

This will lead into the Callie-Marie MK8 DLC nicely

What! The last one? Nooooooooo 😭

@gcunit

Darn you! Now I want that to happen!

This is so baffling! The whole Splatfest should be automated so why the need to stop them?

@Peach64 I think it is more they are needing to save ideas for themes for the sequel. We run our own splatfests in our Nintendo gaming group and I am already running out of ideas! They are a lot harder to think up
EDIT: Our last one was Team Hoshido v Team Nohr

It sure as been a wild ride. Go team Marie!

Welp, after this Splatoon becomes completely unplayable.

THIS IS WHY YOU NEED SINGLE-PLAYER MODES, PEOPLE.

@BaffleBlend No, they said only the splatfests are ending. The online servers will still be up and functioning

@Grumblevolcano I see your point but splatfests aren't really DLC. All of the MK8 and Smash DLC is still available, the rest of the Splatoon DLC is still available. But they are actively removing splatfests as a feature.

@GrandpaPixel They don't even need new ideas, just re-run the old ones!

Although I am sad to see the Splatfest be gone, I'm hoping there will another Splatoon on the NX. But also remember they said there would be no new weapons a while back, and look what happened. So maybe just maybe.

BTW Go Team Callie

@chardir It's still content though, the point I'm getting at is Nintendo stops supporting Wii U games which have extra content after about a year.

Don't know what makes me more sad, the fact that this will be the last Splatfest, or the fact that they're gonna make me choose between Callie and Marie...

Much profanity has been residing in my head since I heard about this...

Haven't played Splatoon since November really, and with Overwatch having taken over quite a lot of my freetime I doubt Splatoon will return to me anytime soon, but with this, I kinda feel obligated to participate for a final hurrah.

But I doubt it's really the last one as Splatoon's been too successful or popular not to make a sequel on the NX and Splatfests will return then. I also doubt the servers will get shut down anytime soon. Maybe a few months into the sequel's lifetime will the servers of the first one be shut down but not quite yet. Otherwise many people would certainly be real mad.

Not saying it's happening, but wouldn't it be cool if you could activate the night time mode when scanning either Callie or Marie.

Shame that Splatfests are coming to an end, but as my wife will attest to, I've enjoyed spending my gaming time playing Splatoon...

Also, does anyone else think that when you click on the "Click a stage to vote" stage in the email sent this morning and you get taken to the Thank you page, that multiple votes count? It doesn't indicate that duplicate votes aren't counted

Ending too soon!! They could have some more but less frequent.

@Jazzer94 Out-of-game community tools are just as important as in-game. But you need both for a healthy community.

Alwayd enjoyed Splatfest
My wife and I both. I managed to never miss a one!

I usually make it to each one of these. Callie will get my support!

@Whopper744
What happened to Alwayd? 😱

Eh. I never really cared about Splatfests anyway. But I'm super glad that we can vote for the stages! YES!

Maybe it's the last maybe it's not. Maybe it's just a test to see how much voting on the stages increases inteerest.

@agqwestern awesome, enjoy! It's a wonderful game

@Charlosa Right at the bottom it says only your latest vote will be counted. In the UK, anyway.

We loved Splatfest in our house! Calling V. Marie though?! This is gonna cause some trouble with my two... good thing we've all got our own NNID's lol. They're not turning the servers off, we'll be playing for a long time yet

@GrandpaPixel @Grumblevolcano I honestly doubt that will happen, slopes will probably be one of the new key features of Super Mario Maker 2 for NX (Granted, it all depends on what the NX is! haha). I'm sure of it. Slops would be a huge deal, seems silly to me to add them in once the Wii U is dead.... Imagine, Super Mario Maker NX, SLOPES edition... haha

I also think that adding slopes would require some retooling of the game/physics engine, which is something I'm sure they don't want to play around with until a sequel get's made OR an NX port of the game is made. Everyone wants them, so I think it's a good selling point for SMM2 (and a SMB2 style! )

For someone that didn't like online shooters (and least face it, owning only Nintendo consoles not much chance of becoming a fan) I've had so much fan playing Splatoon & the Splatfests. Work meant I couldn't join them all but every login was at least 4-5 hrs. Will be missed but main game still what keep me coming back

@TsukiDeity lmao the Slopes edition! And it comes in a DVD case that is slanted to give a sloped feel

Marie is going to win. There's no competition there.

So... how do I earn those "shells that modify weapons" after this?

But Splatfests are the only time I play Splatoon these days! Oh well, it's been a blast! Team Marie ftw.

I don't understand why people are looking at this as though Nintendo is dropping support for splatoon. They clearly still have plans with the upcoming amiibo. Not to mention, the servers aren't going anywhere.

I was thinking of getting this game, but with this happening and the NX just around the corner, I have a feeling it's not going to be supported for much longer which makes the purchase of the game at this point to be pointless

Oh, that sucks!

It's a shame it's the last Splatfest. Splatoon is by far my most played Wii U game.

I wonder when they'll turn the servers off. I know it's not been mentioned officially but the thought does enter my mind.

Of course it's the one weekend I can't play this Summer. I'm sad.

The last one? Im very surprised and a bit sad(but all good things must come to an end)

@TheMultiYoshi Well spotted my little Green Dino
I better re-click for the one that I actually really really want then...

Nintendo is dropping the WiiU hard this year

Been a while since I played in a splatfest, so I'm not exactly sad to see them go. Still, Splatoon is awesome and certainly my biggest surprise this generation. Here's to the NX sequel!

@BensonUii
"Map rotation is every 4 hours. I hope they patch it so the last hour will be in "night mode". It gives some warning that we should go to Judd for the winning streak rewards too."

I like this idea!

This makes me very sad.

I hope it won't be the last time we get to see the game in night mode.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! then again, they said the updates would be done by january was it? or december? i luv those splatfests. they added to the sense of 'we gotta win!' if ever so slightly because of the carrot at the end of the stick. they were silly fun and i can't imagine it took TOO MUCH of an effort to maintain it.

A bittersweet moment in gaming history. Cruising my fingers for Splatoon 2 on NX....

Stay Fresh!

Wow, I cant believe they are ending!

@Zach777 lol you still can play online

I always love Splatfest. Though only playing with people from my own region is a selfish reason for me to enjoy it, I hardly play the game currently to put up much of a fuss. I just wonder how players will get Super Sea Snails once Splatfest is gone.

I can't get why some people think the worse in these types of situations (server shutdown, dropped Wii U support, etc.). Part of me hope they are being ironic or trying to be funny since humor doesn't translate to text well, especially on the internet. I try not to believe they are just dark.

As for whom to vote for, I can't decide since I love them both. I'll just flip a coin.

@JamesCoote does have a social aspect. I've made the majority my Wii U friends through Splatoon. In Miiverse, people will post "Looking for Teammate". You can start one of those discussions yourself. People will swarm.

@BaffleBlend THEY'RE TAKING OFF ALL ONLINE SUPPORT TOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!

What?! Why Nintendo!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Eh, nvm it'd be stupid for them to keep going and not start something new. Seriously everyone expects to get 10000+ hours out of Nintendo games. They're only 30-60$! Can't you just buy the sequel if you like it so much?

We never did get a Kid vs. Squid Splatfest sadly.

@Yorumi I'm pretty sure they'll make it for NX. Maybe not launch but with the comments on how Zelda BOTW has helped with physics and stuff for future games I'm sure games will come faster now. It's a bit early for Splatfests to end, but they gotta have there focus on a sequel. I'm guessing holiday season 2017.

A shame this is the last one.

Does this mean I'll be able to get previous splatfest t shirts as regular gear?

I just want the decepticon one.

T-the last Splatfest? Such a damn shame! I've always looked forward to each Splatfest. ;~;
Oh well. I guess we'll have to look forward to Splatoon 2 and the Splatfests in that game. But as for this Splatfest, I'll be sure to enjoy it to the fullest!
..not sure which team I'll pick though, I like both Squid Sisters equally! Though I'll probably pick Marie, because green is my favorite color.

@Yorumi I really don't understand why people want the same old stuff. Isn't the point of gaming to have something a bit different? And if Wii U is as terrible as they make it sound (even though it's not, and if xbox made it they'd be ALL over it!) shouldn't people be happy? I understand disappointment, but Mono No Aware. It is a Japanese word understanding the importants of things, and how they do not last forever. But like the cherry blossoms, it makes it all the more beautiful.

@Yorumi I understand why people get mad when multi player stops. When they did that for the Wii it was a very rash and desperate decision. But who said they would for Splatoon or Wii U? They said repeatedly that they want Wii U owners to know they aren't dropping it just yet. And I'm sick of people saying they don't care about their costumers. I can go on about a million reasons why they do and people only find the littlest things to complain about. But I don't want to argue.

I am sad Splatfest is ending I've tried too take part whenever I could but it's team Callie for me .

@ YorumiFirst of all, all the false things. Nintendo is always yelled at for free to download apps, or DLC. They call it "cash grabs". Yet people complain about lack of DLC for Wii! They finale give it to you and no one likes it. Then there's the Smash Ballot. Everyone complained no matter who they let in, so they said fine! We'll let you vote! America got Cloud (maybe not from the results but he was still wanted) Europe got Bayonetta. And Japan got Corrin. Everyone's reaction? "WE DIDN'T GET SHREK!!! Then there's the 3DS. They gave 4 options for everyone. The younger kids who can't spend a lot of $? 2DS, The adult gamers who feel left out? New 3DS XL. They have things for EVERYONE. But the thing is because they focuas on everything people feel left out. Not enough adult games! To much $! Not enough power! They try to meet in the middle, but everyone has a problem with that.

New franchise firmly established!

Aww I'm sad that this will be the last one, but it sounds like they're going out with a bang.

Very sad news... The end of an era.

I will be on Team Marie and giving it all I've got! I will ink harder than ever before!

Still love this game. Easily one of the top three on the console, and in my opinion the best game of last year.

It seems silly to end Splatfests so soon. Essentially for me they've been the perfect invitation to keep Splatoon on the mind, keep buying merch and stuff, etc. Then again, they also said we had seen the final weapon update so something tells me we might get a few more Splatfests in coming months.

Still, silly move Big N. How hard is it to write ten lines of dialogue a month and grab some clip art of two different flavors of ice cream? It's not like they each ushered in new models or anything.

That's a shame. We just got Splatoon this year and she's only got to play four of them.

Hope they won't drop online support, since this game is an online shooter. That would be sixty dollars down the drain.

They've done it before for the Wii and DS.

I think some people are way over reacting. The Splatfests were always going to end one day. Even if Nintendo never said it explicitly. These kind of in-game events do cost money and programming to execute month after month. Yes, it a little bittersweet, but guys.

IT'S NOT THE END OF SPLATOON

Lemme repeat it, it isn't the end of the game! The severs will still be on when the dust settles on this Splatfest. And good lord above the the tired and true "this is Nintendo shorting us Wii U owners!" Or "Nintendo is abandoning the Wii U for the NX, dooooooooooomed!"
Um, newsflash, Nintendo has abandoned ship for the NX, whatever it is over the Wii U. Again, that sucks, but good God. Get over it. It happens every generation, this one was a little sooner than most, but we had a good run for what it is worth. I haven't played Splatoon in a good while, might fire it up during this 'fest.

Dont see how this confirms there will be a splatoon sequel. ...

@Yorumi I actually had to go so I couldn't list any more. I don't live on here you know. So I tried to some it all up by basically saying they try to please everyone and in result can sometimes not do enough. And I agree there aren't many games for Wii U. Ultra Smash wasn't as good as it could have been... and that's all.

@Lady_rosalina It doesn't confirm anything, but with the popularity of Splatoon I can't see them ending Splat Fests without something else in mind.

@HandheldGuru97 I 105% agree! It doesn't take away the fact I'm disappointed, but I'm reading in between the lines for development of Spla2n!

Why are people under the assumption that just because Splatfest is ending the servers for multiplayer are closing down? I'm sure multiplay in splatoon has a few more years left, the online structure of the Wii U is more current making it a little easier to maintain than Nintendo's last gen console and hand held. I'm pretty sure we won't feel the burn that was the Wii's form of online support with the modern structure of the Wii U.

Uh oh this is the true divide here. Much ink will be spilled over this. Squid will turn against kid.

@Yorumi #79
No support since November? What the hell? Bending the truth to make a point?

@MasterGraveheart I'm glad they're letting us have the splatfest decorations in our plaza without a splatfest now. I was worried that when splatfests end we would never see the beautiful set-up again!

I'm not going to be online around that time, but I wish the best for all Inklings participating. Also, #teammarie

My daughter loves this game and always looked forward to splatfests shes gone to bed very upset next month will be the last one.

I'm excited for the theme! And what I'm most excited about is Callie said, "Put up or shut up!" Then Marie said, "Fine! Next time we play for keeps!" Just like everything else, think they could cooperate it in?

@abbyhitter
No way. Callie is the clear winner.

Eh, big deal. The servers will probably stay up for years, and as long as no other popular shooters launch on Wii U it'll always have people who go back to it.

How sad. If it's actually costly/difficult to run, Then why not just scale it right back until the sequel launches. It'd be nice to have one every 2 or 3 months or whatever..

Server shutdown in 10..9..8..

Have the ballot emails been sent out? I haven't got one.

@GrandpaPixel Sold! I'd buy that! haha

I have always supported Nintendo. Since I was 6 years old it has been the only gaming system I have used. Throughout middle school and high school I got in some debates on the best game system. This year was the year I tried different systems and was starting to lose faith in Nintendo. But then they came out with splatoon and won my heart all over again. I loved that it can be a story mode game, random players, ranked and fighting for the side you believe in! But now I am sad all over again to learn splatfest is to be over for good. My sisters and I camp out in the family room every splatfest (even on a school night). It was a huge bonding things for us.

To say the least Nintendo you are making a mega mistake, I recommend to rethink this sooner rather than later.

Honestly thought nintendo would release the NX before killing online for their games (I know regular battles at still there) but I guess not.

Why can't they keep cycling through the previous splatfest?

Seems sad to axe this part of the game, and I haven't played this yet :/

I've done a few of these and had a good laugh, but never had enough time to spend more than a couple of hours in any Splatfest...considering I picked this game up dirt cheap when it came out I've more than got my money's worth out of it - definitely one of the major highlights of the Wii U.

@HandheldGuru97 Nothing will stop people crying unfortunately.