Nintendo Hiring Splatoon 3 Level Designer To Renovate "Existing" Stages

I'd like to see all previous stages from the first two games return. I think Splatoon 2 missed a few from 1. A shake up of the stage rotation would be nice too, it can get repetitive doing the same couple of maps for several hours at a time. It made sense in the beginning when we only had a few maps, but I think it's not necessary in it's current form.

Again, this is why I worry about Splat 3 being too soon. I worry that Splat 2 and 3 will compete with eachother since they are both on the Switch. Sure, a dedicated fan base of a million or so will probably buy 3 anyway, but if people who play 2 don't see enough difference, why buy it?

Of course, install size is obviously alot bigger, so maybe there are more new people to sell to. But if this backfires, I wouldn't be surprised if Splatoon becomes another forgotten franchise.

Wouldn't surprise me, they brought back a bunch for 2. As long as they have some fresh (heh) new content with each entry, such as Salmon Run, I don't mind the sequels bringing back tons of legacy content.

God, why?! I thought it was already shameful how much of Splatoon 2 was recycled from the original (although I guess I can cut them some slack because of how poorly the Wii U sold and they needed the sequel out shortly after the Switch's launch). They really need new material that changes things up, not just the same thing over again. Mario Kart generally only uses one old level from a single game, so by that standard, there should be at most two recycled stages.

@MS7000 I agree with you here, people are proabably buy both games and compare the two, plus if this game turns out not to be like the others there going to go back to the 2end one, but at the same time I can't hope but be happy.

I know I'll get slaughtered and turned into curry, but...

Splatoon 1.3 confirmed?

@MS7000 that’s a fair point. As someone who actually owned a Wii U and the first Splatoon, I found the second to be a bit too similar and didn’t get as much mileage out of it.

@Silly_G diabolical laughter

It's true.....

@TheFox err, mk recycles tons of levels.

One thing I would like to see is if they can do something about transferring some stuff over to Splatoon 3 via save data on our Switch, since we have two Splatoons in the same gen, to maybe compensate the move to Splatoon 3.

Ffs why? If half the stages are going to be from splatoon 2 (which also had half of its stages from splatoom 1) then why not just make this dlc? Oh yeah I know why $$

@BenAV To be fair, there are other things that I could be forgetting, and hopefully, I am wrong. But I do have the concern, and like I said; I don't want this franchise to disappear because someone thought that 2 games from what could be argued as a live service franchise (just with free content), are competing with each other.

I honestly hope that's not the case, Splatoon 2 already brought back most of the stages and weapons from the first game. It was fine then since the game was almost like a "deluxe" version of the first (single player content aside). With the third game they should really focus on adding new features, maps, weapons, modes, and fixing common complaints people have. Come on guys, try and keep the series "fresh".

@NEStalgia : Smash Ultimate is, what, 80% recycled? But sshhh...

@MS7000 bro, I see and understand your concerns, but all you're doing is ruining the hype for everyone else. It will have been 5 years since spl2n, people will be ready for Splat 3.

@DAHstroy I am sorry if I have made you feel that you shouldn't be hyped for this game because of my comments. To ensure this doesn't happen again, please use the "Ignore" button which you will find at the bottom right of any of my comments. You will no longer have to witness the offending comments in the future. Hope you have a pleasant morning/afternoon/evening/night.

@MS7000 You could've said that in a way that wasn't as salty, but whatevs man.

@TheFox i get where you're coming from but I don't think we should only have 2. I think we should have 4 or 5 old stages that have been revamped with new gimmicks and mechanics to make them feel at least a bit more fresh

@MS7000 I don't think splatoon is going away any time soon, it doesn't have to be animal crossing to continue

@DAHstroy Well, it is a comment section and I am not being rude. I thought I was being polite. If you have those concerns that I was not being polite, please use the other button labeled "Report". A mod will take look and if they feel necessary, remove my comment. Hope you have a pleasant morning/afternoon/evening/night.

Give me all the past stages. Give them some good makeovers too to show the passage of time.

Not surprised. If there's one place that's guaranteed to make a return, it's Moray Towers.

@OnlyItsMeReid I think we should have all the stages. Then again, I also think Splatoon should seriously follow a F2P model with cosmetic purchases like Ninjala so what do I know.

I'm betting this will be ready for the Switch Pro.

@MS7000 I think Splatoon deserves a sequel because there actually is a quite significant portion of the game that is 'story mode' for single player and each game builds on top of the previous one with its world and lore (as funny as that may sound).

The reason people aren't as excited for, say, Overwatch 2 is because the game is entirely multiplayer which diminishes the value of a sequel.

In the trailer they showed a segment which is clearly teasing an expanded single player campaign for Splatoon 3. In a way what you're saying makes sense but I feel you only see it that way because the majority of Splatoon players focus primarily on the online multiplayer.

It's like saying instead of a Call of Duty installment every year they should just be releasing map packs. Keep in mind in Splatoon's case it has actually been 5. I'm certain after Splatoon 3 and its inevitable major expansions the team will decide on working on another franchise.

I didn't complain about the similarities between Splatoon 1+2, but I probably will for Splatoon 2+3. I'm definitely buying Splatoon 3, but I don't see how it can be totally different.

@Zorox88 I don't know if that's a joke because it's hard to take seriously anymore after every major game has been 'expected' to come with the Switch Pro, I swear we've been expecting it every year and I honestly doubt it's happening.

@Varkster I am not against it getting a sequel, I was just concerned. I certainly hope single player is expanded, as that is normally the weaker part (though still enjoyable).

@NEStalgia Mario Kart does have a lot of reused levels, but they span decades. I think Mario Kart 8 has one track from MK Wii and one track from MK7. Plus, the tracks pulled from SNES or GBA are hardly the same once they've been upgraded to a modern system. So when you get a new MK, half of it is NOT from the most recent one or two games.

@Silly_G Since you brought up Smash, I tend not to keep going back to a single fighting franchise for exactly that reason. Fighting games recycle content like no other genre. But I guess they have to because fans would come unglued if their favorite fighters didn't return. Same goes with changing the game mechanics. So even in the fighting series I really like, I've never bought more than two games in a series because I like trying something new.

I don't get why people are saying that this is too soon. Like, by the time this releases, Splatoon 2 will be around 5 years old. That's around twice as long as the period between Splatoon 1 and 2's releases. I know that the latter is still quite popular, but I think that this is the right time for a sequel. Also, I love the chaos theme.

At minimum this needs all the past stages at launch.

It would be nice to see previous stages affected by chaos.

I’d love to see Saltspray Rig from the first game make a comeback. I sorely missed it in 2.

@TheFox : Very true. Smash has the unique distinction of having such a broad roster, hence why I found it annoying that they keep handpicking "safe" characters from key franchises, especially Fire Emblem and Pokémon. Of all the colourful characters in their respective casts, the last characters I would want to fight as are the generic avatars. I would have been more forgiving if we were given some customisation options (as were originally available in their respective games) but in their default configurations? Blah.

What annoys me most about the genre though is their reliance on DLC, which has put me right off games that I may have otherwise bought. Considering how ridiculously expensive DLC tends to be in this genre especially, it would make more sense to release a bunch of sequels like Capcom did during the Street Fighter II/III era, which I am not necessarily condoning either, but it beats the DLC alternative as you at least have a full game on the provided media.

The DLC for Smash thus far already WELL exceeds the cost of the base game. I would much rather have paid another AU$80 for an updated version of Smash (Ultimate Plus? Ultimatum?) with all of the new characters and Mii costumes on a single cartridge. I suppose they have time once the second DLC pack is complete, but given Nintendo's history with complete releases, I won't be holding my breath.

I just really want Dead or Alive on Switch as the other major fighters (Smash aside) don't really do anything for me.

I think Splatoon 3 should have as much all new content as possible, so 2 can be relevant. I’m personally not ready for 3, but I won’t rob that excitement from die hard players. I hope its the best in the series gives the squids exactly what they want. I hope its like Mario 3 and Zelda 3, and people remember it for 30 years. Hopefully they’re bringing back more stuff from Splatoon 1 since many people missed that one, and won’t be hooking up a Wii U anytime soon.

@MS7000 Splatoon 3 seems very different to me so far. Some basic things seem to be changed so I probably will play both after it’s launch.

Some stuff I would like to see in Splatoon 3:

• Co-op story mode
• Challenge mode like octo expansion
• New ranked modes
• More maps per rotation. maybe 3 normal stages (1 from each game), and 1 splatfest stage?
• Make leveling up not as tedious
• Let us mix and match subs/specials like how we mix and match clothes perks.
• Let us change weapons/gear in the lobby
• Let us leave the lobby without having to disconnect
• Give us alternate ways to collect super sea shells aside from splatfests.
• Bring back salmon run and lose the "can only play during certain hours" thing
• A new mode

@Wilforce If by f2p model, you mean we'll have to pay for costumes with irl money, I disagree with having that (even though the amiibo costumes already kinda count as that doesn't it)

@Sourcecode I loved that stage too but if you remember from 1 they never seemed to get it right. They changed it multiple times and eventually dropped it from rotations because is it was always borked.

I’d love to see the original Urchin Underpass come back, especially since chargers will likely never rule the meta again.

But they can leave starfish mainstage right where it is. No need to bring that map to any future Splatoon.

@Kirbo100 The most difficult thing I've experienced with Splatoon is the permanent end of the street parties, which has happened twice now (Splatoon 1 and Splatoon 2) even though there is no real reason for the party to end. The game is structured like a game as a service, they should just go full in with it and keep it going with generational updates instead of quinquennium releases.

Gentle reminder that between 2017 (the year of Splatoon 2’s release) and 2020, the Call of Duty series saw five mainline releases. We’d be on Call of Duty 18 if they were kept the numbering system from the early games. By the time Splatoon 3 releases in 2022, we’ll probably be on CoD 20, maybe 21.

Maybe a half-decade gap between entries doesn’t seem like much to a lot of people, but by the standards of the industry it’s not exactly short.

I am looking forward splatoon 3. I hope it will have more options for 3 friends playing online together. 🙂

Truth be told, I could list all of Splatoon 1 stages 'cause I love all that didn't make it in Splatoon 2, and I know it was really unbalanced, but I'd like to see Saltspray Rig return. It was one of the two stages included in the Testfire demo so it should had been a mainstay. I hope they find a way to include all stages from 1 & 2 even if the total new stage list takes a hit. It's always cool to see what changes they make to a past stage.

@nitrolink Maybe verticality? It seems we can jump higher from the ink , so that may add a layer to the gameplay. Also, we saw how some inklings were holding onto the ceiling (presumably), so we might also be able to do that on the stages (jump to a grid-like ceiling, grab it and shoot from there or going through some grids on the floor and holding onto them, for example).

Porting older content shouldn't be a problem for Nintendo

@Maxz CoD and sports games seem like the exception nowadays with multiplayer games heading more towards 1 main game with long term support per franchise for about a decade. Even Mario Kart, a franchise that used to get a new game every 2-3 years hasn't gotten a new mainline game for 7+ years.

@MS7000 Have you actually played Splatoon? Dude I get your reasoning but this franchise is already too big and loyal to be "forgotten" 🤣 No really, google splatoon fanart, (maybe add the explicit search filter first). Come on now, people LOVE splatoon. And the 5 year gap? I think that is darn reasonable. Splatoon 2 is amazing but it's losing it's momentum, trust me, people be ready, and so will you be. ; ) Stay positive man

I was hoping they would change a few things this time as Splatoon 2 was preTty much a copy and paste job, with additional paid for DLC.

I would like them to make a more open world single player campaign, to go alongside the more traditional multi player splat arenas.

Dunno how I feel about this. Splatoon 2 felt more like 1.5 at times - which is fine as a lot of people missed out on the first.

If they're gonna do a second sequel on Switch, I'd rather it felt more fresh tbh. Hope they limit the returning stages.

Maybe its just cause we're not used to multiple sequels per console, but is waiting 4-5 years per sequel that big of a deal? I don't understand how its any diff from smash, a franchise that constantly recycle characters, items, stages, and modes. But they mechanically play different enough and add more to the franchise to warrant playing the new one. And thats how I feel about splatoon

I wonder how many of the people arguing its coming out too soon still regularly play 2, the games loose big audiences after the final spaltfest

I have splatoon 2 and it was fun for a little while, when there weren't many games on switch. It was in essence, splatoon 1, with a bit of a lick of paint so I'm not surprised splatoon 3 will be reusing assets.

I see no reason not to include ALL of the stages from 1 & 2. There really doesn't need to be an artificial limit, the more the merrier. If Smash Bros can do this, then so can Splatoon(and mario kart for that matter!). They also seriously need to increase the map rotations to at least 3 or 4 per cycle or allow voting. That nonsense in the first 2 games where only Splatfests would get 3 map rotations was just stupid.

@Noble_Haltmann That might be the motivation the developers have to produce another one for the Switch. It's common knowledge that 2 was very similar to 1 because they had a really short development cycle for it. This one on the other hand is coming out 5 years later. I expect it will it expand and change a lot while keeping the same basic formula that the hardcore fans demand at this point.

@MS7000 I don't really see that being an issue with the Switch having such a massive install base(thats still growing rapidly!). Hell, they pump out a new Call of Duty every single year and it works. Splatoon 1 still has an active community and that's on a dead, 8 year old console that only sold roughly 14 million units.

@Noble_Haltmann @MS7000

Estimated Splatoon playtime 150 hours
Actual Splatoon 2 playtime 610 hours

This will due down to the WiiU not having as long a life span as Switch but the gameplay just feels better in the Switch version. The maps are incredible, the weapons are great and the entire game is just more polished than the WiiU game.

Just look at Fortnite, it survives with the same map for years with tiny changes every month or so. That has not hurt the game at all. Splatoon 3 will likely start with all new maps and then some of the old modified maps released into circulation every few months.

2022 seems like so long away (which it is).

@TheFox I've never understood people wanting old content on new games. Especially pvp games that can get extremely boring playing the same maps over & over. If you want to play the old content, play the old game, IMHO.

@Dethmunk u threw a red herring in there. I haven't read anyone asking for change in mechanics. A change in look, like battlefield & call of duty even (year over year) is refreshing & makes it feel less like a half hearted cash grab, IMHO. I don't play splatoon either for the record, but I'm a Destiny 1 & 2 & battlefield player (until V).

No no no! It's a NEW game, why can't it just be ALL NEW stages that nobody has played before? Why is Nintendo so much like this now...

@ModdedInkling Or Nintendo could make a NEW tower level that's just as good with a different layout, look and music! It's on the same console, we don't need Splatoon 2 stages rehashed!

@Clyde_Radcliffe
I feel like Splatoon 3 is going to be so different that the levels should be rehashed. When you think about it, Splatoon 2 is just a polished Splatoon 1, with changes that were simply made to either balance out the game or avoid using the GamePad.

Well, I really enjoyed Mahi Mahi Resort from the first game. That stage was AWESOME!!! 😎

@twztid13 I don't want to dig out my WiiU and play with inferior controls just for older maps. They can bring back some maps with changes made to layout and look here and there and I'll still love to play on them again. It would be a new stage for many more people considering the number of WiiU & Splatoon 1 sold being abysmal in comparison to Switch.

@Porky that makes sense. I just know i always hated being new to a game that used maps from a prior iteration, as it gave the players if the last version an immediate advantage (even with changes), instead of us all being on a level playing field in a new game. I don't know how this games handles the maps, but i like it when a game gives the options of matchmaking on older maps from a past game, new maps only, or a mix of the 2 like Destiny 2 did (back when i played it anyways). That seemed to be a nice middle ground. I just always felt like if i was buying a new game, i didn't want retreads, i wanted new content, not stuff i had already played to death. To each his own, ofc.

Sounds like they are optimizing them for new mechanics and aesthetic. It seems that new locations will be nature themed, so it would be cool to see something like starfish mainstage overgrown with trees

Also, I am very pro-reusing old stages as long as they add plenty of new stuff too. I really hope there's a new version of salmon run

@Dethmunk I think it's because it wasn't botw2. There's also just a general saltiness around this franchise due to it's competitive nature. Same with smash, there's always sour grapes.

If the game is good and it's ready in 2022, there's literally no reason to moan about it coming 5 years after S2.

@Devlind
I think you might be right. Splatoon 3 will probably have new movement options like the sub-weapons. I don't know how many new weapon types they can add besides the bow... swords/melee stuff? I guess my thought is Splatoon 3 could have been saved for the Switch successor and shouldn't replace Splatoon 2.

This makes me feel better, I was worried about playing desert themed maps, the magic of splatoon was half because of the atmosphere
A more linear storyline would be nice too, maybe I'm dumb but after I took a break from campaign I could never figure out where to go in the hub world when I came back

@Wilforce I don’t think we need all the old ones because I don’t want to only play old stages I think they should have equal or more new stages

Also we don’t need consmetic purchases I like not having to pay money to purchase all the cosmetics

I know it will never happen but i would kill for 4 player split screen.

2v2 games in my home and 4 v 4 with 2 switches?? Amazing

@nitrolink Yeah, I kind of agree with that. It seems weird having the sequel on the same console for this kind of game, but then again, Splatoon 2 will be 5 years old by 2022. It makes sense for Nintendo to try to capitalize on all the fans that already own a Switch and the game, especially if sales have slowed down.

@Davzilla Well, we missed the chance for a futuristic look when chaos won the last splatfest. The game's plot follow the last splatfest results, though it seems more drastic here.

90% sure Splatoon 3 on Switch means we're getting a half-step console either by this holiday or early next year.

Willing to bet that Splatoon 3 and Breath of the Wild 2 will be optimized for a Switch Pro/new Nintendo Switch/Switch+ (expect both games in 2022, BotW2 before the end of February to count as part of the 35th anniversary).

@OnlyItsMeReid Yes, we need all the stages. Also, I don't like paying $60 for a bunch of cosmetics I don't want. I'd rather buy my cosmetics piecemeal or through season passes that represent my style.

@Spiders Urchin Underpass was another one of my favs that is until the last time they updated it and and changed it from what it originally was. I really loved the moving platform on Saltspray though. Holding down that area of the stage along with a sniper or two was a blast.

@pixelpatch yes! I would LOVE local split screen. We only have two Switch consoles in my house so the most we can ever do is two player. My whole family could play if there was split.

Smash Ultimate
Mario Kart 9 Ultimate
Splatoon 3 Ultimate

Yeah I’m up for having every level from the previous games plus new ones and a few other new features to keep it fresh.

@Kirbo100 "Give us alternate ways to collect super sea shells aside from splatfests."

what they could do is since it's on the same system as Splatoon 2 have a place you can go to that checks for Splatoon 2 save data and transfer any Super Sea Snails on the file over to Splatoon 3

Seems a bit soon for 3, when you consider that 2 also had DLC.

I hope whoever was hired to revive the old stages was fired and banned from designing maps