Gallery: Splatoon 3 Is Looking Pretty Fresh In These New Screenshots

It'll be a long wait...

I really, really wish Order won the splatfest...

Interesting.... very interesting
Borderlands paint fight

Can't wait for people to complain about the lack of content at launch. Jokes aside, this game looks amazing.

I can't wait, I love splatoon 2. I hope they add either 2 v 2 v 2 v 2 matches or even 4 v 4 v 4 v 4

Weapon accent colors change with the ink color? Sweet! That Sloshing Machine (chef's kiss) Perfecto!

Holy crap this looks great.

How many 2022 games Did they have in the direct? I thought they were against announcing games that are far off.

I did not expect this announcement at all and god this looks amazing.

That Inkzooka though. I got war flashbacks from the Great Splatoon 1 Turf Wars.

The new boy octoling hair cut looks like a swiss roll on his head

Ugh I want this game right now. It's sooooooo far away!! they've hardly scratched the surface on details, I think there's going to be a trove of new mechanics, modes, and stages. we've really only seen some basic turf action, but this feels very different

Very excited for this.

Hoping for even more character customization and esthetic options with clothing.

I'm kinda afraid the desert aesthetic will get old fast but.. good LORD those graphics are pretty. And that BOW.

really hope we get a global testfire

Still on the fence about this. Will depend if my friends buy it.

Oy, I can't wait a year! So hyped! To say I love Splatoon is an understatement. Also, at long last, the Octolings are going to have more than just 2 hair styles available. 😄

There's a lot to be desired for Splatoon 3. Going into it, I hope they truly dive more into the lore and give us a more expansive experience.

Anyone else feel weird about the reveal this soon? It’s like they are abandoning Splatoon 2.. only been out for a few years!

@IronMan30
There better be more content then Splatoon 1 and 2 had at the beginning

Ok, so... who are the MCs? I hope my girl Marina is back

I was late to the game to get Splatoon 2 and missed a few Splatfests in the beginning. I will not be making the same mistake twice

@Why_Do_I_Exist Maybe... but honestly, I think that of all the announcements Nintendo could make, it's one of the most brilliant they could make in a very subtle way.

It's not just a "hey, that thing is coming".

In many ways, Splatoon 3 might as well be "Hey, you have NO ideas how much life this console still has in it.

Splatoon 2 released in 2017. It got content and event updates for YEARS. Like, even after content updates "officially" ended, it was still getting splatfest well into late 2019 with the official "final" splatfest in July 2019.
Then, almost as if "just kidding, we still have MORE splatfests" they began to throw at us "returning" splatfests as far as not only 2020, but literally even into 2021 just last month in january.

So announcing Splatoon 3 is a way to go "not only are we still going to be around next year, we're going to be around next year and BEYOND".

This I think is probably the bit that's probably the most overlooked about Splatoon: "You have no ideas how much life this tiny console still has in her".

@gloom by the time this comes out splatoon 2 will be 5 years old it doesn't seem unreasonable to me

Makes me want to play the 2nd game again. This one, graphically looks exactly the same, style looks like Borderland. Not sure yet if I like that. But I am sure, it will be hell of a lot of fun regardless.

Splatoon: New Vegas

Honestly, I like the setting; it's outside of our typical city haha.

The bow weapon seems to shoot 3 things. Also seems to be new blaster and splatting looking weapon?

@Desrever Honestly same.

But also: of all the franchise reveals they could make, none can speak "you have no ideas how much life is left in this tiny console" than the kind of "post release support, for years!" that a Splatoon title has.

@smithpa01 Honestly... this.

And what a good way to subtly proclaim the Switch still has years ahead of itself than reveal, for the next year, a title from a franchise now well-known for it's multiple years of post-release content and events updates support.

In a way it's probably the best subtle power move nintendo could do.

@ModdedInkling I could be wrong, but if those badlands Splatlands are any indication, I get a strong vibe this might be the case.

Really curious about that tiny salmonid "buddy", especially considering you can configure it's crest/hairdo as well. That definitely sound like something that'll play more of an hand in single player story modes.

@MS7000

The setting of Splatoon is and always has been a dystopian wasteland. First, all land based life was killed off, then the world was almost destroyed in the Turf wars. There are small pockets of life, which is where the last two games took place. If you get the lore from the art books, the movie, or the manga ... it turns out the whole thing is dark AF.

So order winning would have had an impact, obviously, but I don't think it would have changed the setting as much as people think.

Kinda cool that your Splatoon character starts out in the Vortex World.

Splatoon 3 was the last thing I expected to see in a Nintendo Direct. I thought Splatoon 3 was making its debut later in the 2020s. I can't wait to play Splatoon 3. I love both the first two games, especially Splatoon 2. But it's too bad we have to wait until 2022. 2021 just started. I don't want to wait that long, lol.

Landscape looks more dry than fresh! Well, this is not a 100% joke (and a bad one) but I really wish we get more lively stages.
Looking forward to it!

Looks exactly the same to me so far. They're going to have to improve the online experience this time for me to buy it.

@Ludovsky I have hopes that the singleplayer goes beyond just platforming and challenges.

The art direction looks good.

@ModdedInkling I'd love to see co-op introduced into the singleplayer.

Nintendo: hey guys let’s make splatoon 3 but with more styles of hair and borderlands background theme!” all jokes aside, it looks so good. And I’m pleased that the inkzooka is coming back.

@WoomyNNYes
The art direction in the Splatoon series never fails to amaze me, they nail it every time

@gloom Splatoon was released on 2015. Splatoon 2 was released on 2017. Splatoon 2 will be around longer than the first game.

I love Splatoon its fantastic

Let's hope for a single player campaign!

Also, the Instagram page is releasing new tidbits like new mobility options, you might want to take a look!

@ModdedInkling That's the bit I'm curious about myself. Well, still a bit to find out.

But I do find interesting the room that badlands, terrains normally known for their wide "open" spaces, seem to be taking in term of setting for this one. Not making any prediction... but I'll be eager to find out what THAT might have in store for us.

I'm so happy about this. I haven't played Splatoon 2 since like 2018 or something, so I need a new title to get back into the game.

Personally I thought this kinda looked like just more of the same. I need to see more innovation to buy into a third for me.

I am probably in the minority in that I wish it was a single player focused spin off and not Splatoon 3.

@justpizza inkzooka was one of my favorite specials in the first game.

@Ludovsky exactly, I think this announcement is significant because Splatoon is a long term experience. It really opens up the possibility for extended switch lifespan, and titles we didn't think we'd get like MK9

It's not even gameplay footage it's like the killzone 2 thing that happened way back in the day.

@SmaggTheSmug I've thought the same thing. I think a fully realized single player game could be amazing. But for me it ultimately depends on how much different 3 is from 2. If they create new levels that really change the gameplay, I'll probably love it. If it's a pile of recycled materials from the first two games plus a desert hub world and one arena to look cool in the trailers* I probably won't buy it.

• Yes, I'm being facetious, I'm sure Nintendo won't be that lazy.

@Mariotehplumber I think people are reading too far into this. I'm seeing so many posts like they know what they game is going to be like. But all they've shown is the hub world, one level, and a "not gameplay footage" message.

@Crockin honestly, Splatoon guaranteeing another 2-3 years of lifespan for the Switch past 2022 by itself alone increase the chances of another Mario Kart/etc before the next nintendo console generation.

And honestly, I'm fine with having a console I don't need to replace until a while. "Technological progress" is a "thing" I guess, but when you see a lot of the consoles pushing said "progress" having to be sold at a loss because of the sum of their hardware's cost... I wonder if it truly is "progress" rather than technology that wasn't actually THAT ready but is subsidized at higher actual games costs and developers burnout(because we know the AAA industry practices pushing that tech the most are also some of the most horrid on average).

Like there are perhaps certain types of games that could benefit from "processor powers"/etc but honestly I've rarely see anything that interested me THAT much of the PS4 or in particular the current PS5 gen to actually feel disapointed about my tiny tablet-shaped Switch console that I can install wherever I want in my house without issues.

@Ludovsky To me, all that matters is good software. If the new console has must-have software, I'll buy it. If it doesn't, I won't. Higher graphical power/specs etc are a bonus

@Crockin Imo Splatoon 3 for Switch simply confirms the Switch as is will keep getting new software that won't need players to look for new hardware still.

Perfectly fine my way as I'd rather spend that gaming money on the software than hardware and so far the Switch hasn't disapointed me yet, especially regarding evergreen titles I still enjoy playing to this day even though I purchased them years ago now.

Splatoon like: well we did it. No more genders or France.

@MS7000 Same... Whats in the past is in the past but I think that it would be a lot more. It would be a lot more fun to see a massive utopian city then this dystopian seeming city.

It looks so good.

I recently started a new save in Splatoon 2 and have been ranking up from scratch, and it's so dang good. I'd forgotten how much I absolutely adore this game. One of my favorites of all time.