One upcoming Switch release that probably deserves a bit more love is Splatoon 3. It's a little difficult though when Nintendo hasn't really said anything about the game since the initial reveal at the start of this year.
So, what's going on with this third entry currently scheduled for a 2022 release? While there's no proper development update on the game, Nintendo has shared a special message via social media - wishing everyone a happy summer on behalf of the Splatoon 3 team. To go with this message, it even posted some special artwork:
So yeah, Splatoon 3 is unsurprisingly still a thing. During the first look earlier this year, fans got to see the new Splatlands region and Splatsville (the new city). The third game will introduce various new weapons - including bows, customisation options and even new movement abilities.
Will you be returning to the world of Splatoon when the third game arrives on Switch next year? Tell us in the comments below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 70
I'd be interested to know what innovations and changes they'll bring to the single inkling gamer here. Just new weapons and new locations for online sound like they could of just done a 'season 2' for Splatoon 2.
So when splatoon 3 comes out, will splatoon 2 be at a discount on the Eshop? Or will they not?
@XenoShaun Very true!
@XenoShaun not worth $60 imo. Just buy splatoon 2 if it is just new stuff
I wonder when Splatoon 2 will still be alive after Splatoon 3's release.
@anoyonmus Yeah exactly. Starts to sound more like an EA yearly sports release now than an actual sequel. Though still early days yet to judge.
Splatoon 3 looks like it belongs to a future Nintendo console.
How about patience now octolings!
Splatoon 3 the sequel no one asked for, continue the good job Nintendo.
But just as we found out with Bayonetta 3 and Metroid prime 4. Alot of fans have Zero patience. I do. I can wait for a great game and splatoon 3 is no different. Go ahead Nintendo. Take your time. Make it the best game you can. Like you always do.
Still need to finish the Octo Expansion DLC before I even look at this.
Looks meh honestly, more of the same..
They have to add in a lot of new things to impress me. Hopefully the single player is completely fleshed out, or multiplayer has a fun new mechanic.
As someone who played Splatoon 1 at launch, I was not impressed with 2 in the slightest. Barely any changes, and the amount of modes and maps were abysmal. It was also a major pain to play with friends, and salmon run was incredibly half baked. I won't be getting 3 at all unless there's some big changes coming to it.
I'm going to buy 3 since I didn't get 2, But form what I played of the demo, there is a lot of stuff I hope they can fix bc 2 had a lot of turn off'y things.
I really hope S3 has a single player online battle mode, I am fed up of people quitting half way through, messing about, snipers/shooters that are poor and don’t move, people that don’t paint the floor to aid our teams movement, etc. Single player mode and then it’s only my fault, so I’ll shout at the tv less
"Patience now, Inklings"
Octolings > Inklings
60 FPS or bust
Taking a break after putting around 1600 hours over the years into Splatoon 2. Will be ready to ride again with 3!
I played Splatoon 2 to death...I wonder if we'll start from scratch or carry over our goods. I would have been happy if they didn't do a sequel and just made upgrades to the game like added stages, new items, etc.
This is a unneeded game. Where is prime four or a new 2d Zelda, or a new Mario game that isn’t a spin-off
Unless the trashy online options are fixed (make it easier to play with friends, more options) I won't get this
Nintendo is so weird.
@brendathecat online isn't trashy, it's your internet that's trashy
@XenoShaun Splatoon 2 isn’t an F2P or MTX model with “seasons”, but they’ve had weapons added, stages added, and a monthly Rank X mode ranking, and special events nonetheless.
Nintendo is changing the underlying netcode, and who knows how much else under the hood. It needs to be a new game, not a map pack. If you don’t think it’s worth it, Splatoon 1 + 2 are both still playable online.
@blindsquarel Why is it unneeded? There are 3 Metroid Prime games to play already, why do we need a fourth?
If you don’t care, don’t care quietly. Some of us are very excited for a new entry.
This game is definitely needed. I want to play Splatoon again, but I don't want to go back to a 4 year old game that none of my friends play anymore.
@munstahunta Speak for yourself. There are a lot of us who asked for it.
I played hundreds of hours of the original, loved it 😍
I played about 80 hours of Splatoon 2.
Maybe I was burnt out from the original but I just didn't enjoy it as much 🤔
Anyhoo, I'll most certainly be picking this up regardless 😁
This is why Animal Crossing New Horizons is dead. 😔 (Same team)
Nintendo still needs to show us what this game offers that Splatoon 2 doesn't, to justify making a whole new game on the same console. As long as it has plenty of new content I'm excited for it. I'm hoping that wasteland they showed in the trailer is the setting for some kind of big new single player mode.
Lot of people complaining Splatoon 3 is unneeded or not worth it. We have very little to go on aside from the reveal trailer.
People need to learn not to jump the gun.
i'm not too bothered about having to wait until next year for splatoon 3 news tbh, it's a given with nintendo games to not get info until near when they release and people simply gotta learn that, bowser's fury for example we only found out about 29 days before the game dropped
even with stuff like the splatoon 2 direct that was legit dropped onto youtube 2 and a half weeks before the game came out
Me and my son just adore splatoon, for me you just can't beat the art style and fun gameplay. So we are super happy they are bringing us a new one and look forward to see what changes they are going to make
I bet they put more effort in than EA will with Fifa, and the new COD will, both of which are on the umpteenth version with the original being very much the same as the one they will release in Oct/Nov.
I'm down if they finally add split-screen multiplayer, which I'm certain they probably won't...
Splatoon 3 is a total new story. Who knows what will happen now that Pearl has taken over with chaos? Ever wonder why you have a salmonoid for a buddy? Or are we in deep after the Octo expansion?
@XenoShaun there will be a whole new campaign. If that's what you were there for in the first two this will be a third. Don't know where you're getting that it's solely multiplayer or it is like an EA sports rooster update. Truly baffled by what you're saying as if it is fact when all information and precedent is to the contrary.
@Specters My comment was purely in regards to what this article mentions is coming for the new game. A few new weapons and some new areas. The whole EA thing is a hyperbolic statement in regards to it seeming like the same game with just some new gadgets attached. The idea of that would be disappointing for a sequel (again based on this article's stipulation of content).
Though I am sure and hopeful there will be more than just that. Hense the 'too early to judge' addition.
@Spiders What I said above. I'm more interested in the single player experience and changes. If they are doing some proper internal changes then that's great. Nothing like that stated was happening in the article in question however.
Very much looking forward to this one, can't wait! Happy summer, my fellow Inklings!
It's so weird to me that some complain that this is an unnecessary sequel after 5 years, when a lot of people seem to be more than happy to buy a new Battlefield or COD or Assassin's Creed at least every other year, if not more often.
@Clyde_Radcliffe
And probably Pikmin 4 team as well..
I've read some of the comments here, and what they really need to do is actually consider the people who don't have NSO. I'm not paying for that subscription, even though it's cheaper than PSN and XBL.
Before NSO came around, I grinded the heck out of Splatoon 2 to no end, and then I was forced to play the little amount of singleplayer content there was. There was no way to practice Turf Wars, no realistic ways to practice any Ranked because the AI always camp, and Salmon Run was virtually unplayable. There seriously needs to be changes made to accomodate to players without NSO, or I'm not buying this.
That fact that so many people in the comment section are comparing this to any generic EA game is weird because all they showed was an in development 3 minute trailer with lots more differences, way more than any FIFA game in the last 5 years.I know Splatoon 2 was considered too similar to the first in many regards which is worrying to some people especially for the single player content. I still say it is too early to judge the game yet and I would wait to see for all the differences between the last game with hopefully having a single player campaign as good as the Octo Expansion.
Still need to finish octo expansion.
Squid of Duty.
I absolutely adore Splatoon, but as others have said, for a live service game, this is all basic stuff that normally would come in a "season" or "expansion." They more or less stopped supporting Splatoon 2 a year after release aside from some basic splatfests, and now want to sell the next updates as a sequel. It's not the only game that does this, but CoD gets chided for a reason. It's kind of sad seeing Splatoon follow Activision's lead, and I don't imagine it will feel like anything more than "Splatoon 2 Season 2" out of the box, with only 4 years between releases, and ACNH having dominated that team's time in most of that time.
Splatoon 2 is my favourite game of all time. Take all the time you need to perfect Splatoon 3 Nintendo!
(Stay Fresh!)
I can't wait to get back into monthly splatfests ^_^
I'd be happy with mild innovation and just a complete overhaul on the matchmaking process with friends.
@EliteXeos "People need to learn not to jump the gun."
Around these parts? That's not the way it works. Look how quickly they turned a cheery message from the developers into abject misery and despair. As soon as I opened this article a dark cloud loomed outside, I kid you not! It always rains in the Nintendolife comment sections!
@WiltonRoots
You hit the nail on the head lmao
Around here people be firing rounds of ammo non-stop.
Both Splatoons have had probably the most generous post-release free content I've ever gotten from a game purchase. Especially for games with ZERO micro transactions.
People will really complain about anything on this site.
@EliteXeos It must be exhausting for people to be this morose and easily rattled all the time...
@Spiders
There are two Splatoon games with one on switch why do we need a new one. If you want to play that game I can play it to. Plus all three Metroid prime games are on the Wii. We haven’t had a original 2d Zelda since spirit tracks ( link between worlds is good but not original). Again we have a Splatoon game on switch
@anoyonmus No. Because most people will be higher levels than you. I'll just buy the third game.
@WiltonRoots
They always seem to have energy to spare, ready to complain in another NL comment section 😆
@blindsquarel I was making a joke, but if you need me to be spot-on, why would we need Pikmin 4 and Breath of the Wild 2 — two hugely anticipated sequels — would fall under your logic.
You're operating under the fallacy that every game being developed is taking resources from another game. That's not strictly true. The Splatoon team was made up of mostly Mario Kart developers, and Nintendo had no problem putting out a new Mario Kart game on Switch (despite there already being one).
Their are many reasons for a Splatoon 3 sequel on Switch, but I'll give you the big ones:
1) Splatoon is a phenomenon in Japan. Right now, with no more updates and support, the player base is stagnant, and players are moving to Apex Legends. A new game with another round of post-launch support can get these players back.
2) Splatoon does not have any MTX elements or multiplayer DLC. The only way to justify long-term support is to make another game. Will this be the model in the future? For all we know, Splatoon 3 could be going the way of Fortnite and Apex and adopting a "seasons" model. Even if they wanted to do what you are suggesting, they'd need to make a new game.
3) Nintendo is updating it's online code from a decades old solution. A ground-up version of Splatoon would benefit greatly from this. This is not important to everybody, but for the community that still playing this game, it's huge. Hell, if they re-released Smash Ultimate but with rollback netcode I'd gladly pay $60 again.
4) Splatoon 2 has a lot of issues that can't be fixed by content updates. The performance on Switch both online and off are a step back from the Wii U version. It needs a better optimized for Switch code base. If Nintendo has the resources to make a better game for the current generation why wait?
@swoose This! Splatoon practically pioneered the "content-drip" model that's been monetized by Overwatch, CoD, and F2P games, all without extra costs to the player or a predatory F2P model.
I don't understand the double standards casual fans hold this series too — almost every game could be considered "another season" by cynical people.
@Spiders And do you know why the online is still up? Cuz It doesnt cost anything for Nintendo to keep a P2P multiplayer game going. The thing they have to pay for is barely a server.
Why are so many people saying that Splatoon 3 is an unneeded game? When Splatoon 3 comes out, it will have been 5 years since the last game came out. A new game is absolutely needed to keep the Splatoon fanbase going.
@Spiders I thought that the Splatoon team was mostly made up of the Animal Crossing team, not the Mario Kart team.
@Agent_5 Nintendo EPD is a big umbrella team, but it looks like the principles are from Animal Crossing and New Super Mario Bros. I don't know why I had the Mario Kart team in my mind.
My point still stands... Animal Crossing has had multiple titles release concurrently with Splatoon development, and even makes more sense as that series will likely never have multiple entries on one console.
I don't understand people's take on this either. You're right - it will have been around 5 years between Splatoon 2 and 3. We used to wish for Nintendo to be this timely with sequels. I was not expecting one, but I'm over the moon about it!
@eve What does that have to do with anything? Most online games are P2P with matchmaking servers. It still cost money, and publishers still shut them down.
You mean, most Switch online games.
Most online games on Playstation and Xbox have servers. P2P is very rare. Its just Nintendo saving money and beinga thing of the past.
@XenoShaun Frankly, if a single player experience is what you're looking for, Splatoon is probably not for you. Sure, it has a single player mode, but the multiplayer is really what the games are all about.
@Spiders I literally almost had a heart attack when I saw Splatoon 3. I was over the moon about it too!^^
@vio I bet Splat 3 will have better single player tho.
@Agent_5 Me too! I don’t think I gasped like that since the Twilight Princess reveal haha
@vio If there was a 50-60 version of Splatoon 2 with Octo Expansion, I think it’s worth it for single player. More playtime than Kirby or Yoshi.
But yeah, I’ve got about 1,200 hours on Splatoon 2 and haven’t finished either single player mode.
@eve That’s not true at all. Dedicated servers are rare. Call Of Duty, Overwatch, Destiny 2, Battlefield, and Apex Legends are all P2P.
Microsoft does dedicated servers for Halo 5 and maybe their other multiplayer titles, but they are in the server business and are the exception, not the rule.
Dedicated servers are a thing of the past. You got it all backwards.
@Spiders Smite, Paladins, Rocket League all have servers. Im pretty sure the games you mentioned too.
Since most games with P2P dont even allow me to play cuz of my internet connection. I cant play Splatoon 2 for example.
@eve The games I mentioned absolutely do not use dedicated servers. Hi-Rez looks like it does, but from the complaints about Smite, it just reinforces for me that "dedicated servers" is a buzzword term that doesn't mean what it did decades ago.
Why can't you play Splatoon 2 on your internet connection? That's terrible! Have you tried using port forwarding on your router?
Splatoon 2 uses:
TCP: 6667,12400,28910,29900,29901,29920
UDP: 1-65535
Hope this helps!
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