Nintendo Reminds Us Splatoon 3 Is Still On The Way (Again)

Nintendo needs to explain WHY people need this if they already have Splatoon 2. I own most 1st party switch games, but this one will be a stretch if the multiplayer functionality hasn’t greatly improved.

Literally why is this game even being made? It looks like an expansion Pak.

No split screen?
No OFFLINE battle mode against A.I?

I´ll never buy it.

@Lemonyoshi fifa. Call of duty. Tons of Iterative games would have to justify their existence then. It’s new. Most people want new things. That’s why it’s coming out versus being dlc. You can complain here but surely most splatoon players will buy it.

I'm hoping for a testfire next month

Maybe? I spent hundreds on Splatoon 2 for the family. I am interested in 3, but I am hoping for things they haven’t addressed. More stable servers/better match resolutions, longer support window for Splatfests, and making Grizzco coop a first tier experience. I would also love them to pilot a discounted family digital pass.

@sixrings Nintendo is a far better company than EA or Activision - I’d go as far to say EA and Activision are the two WORST video game producers, in that order. Also, read the other comments on this post - it actually seems like it may not sell well unless Nintendo addresses some of these issues.

@Lemonyoshi it’ll sell fine. Vocal minority always on this site. I can’t believe people paid full price for a skyward sword port yet here we are. Nintendo doesn’t need to justify anything to their customers because they pay for their products. Just a side note activision gave us three completely remastered games for both crash and Spyro for the price of one. They included modern warfare remaster with their new Call of duty game. Ea gave us the mass effect trilogy for the price of one game. You can hate activision and ea all you want but Nintendos pricing is so fd up that shouldn’t be what you use to say they are a better company. Any chance Nintendo gets to screw their customers they do.

I'm more interested in if they'll re-release the previous Splatoon amiibo at this point than the actual Splatoon 3 game. Choices like limiting when what maps can be played on is something I just don't like.

Splatoon is one of my most played Switch titles. I'm ready! Psyched for more single player, too.

The desert looking areas shown so far look cool. A definite pickup when it releases this Summer.

Was Splatoon 2 an actual improvement over splatoon 1?

I just hope it has offline split screen and offline against AI so it is playable after the servers are down in the future. Would also just be nice to play with friends on the couch.

I have over 1200 hours in Splatoon 2. You can bet I’m getting the third.

@valharian yes.

I want decent multiplayer but I need a great single player for me to buy so far it looks good in that dept.

@Lemonyoshi not really. This is about to be the biggest game in the franchise easily.

Getting big September vibes

I have to concur with some sentiments above….why? If anything, I would want MK to get its proper Switch version and Splatoon get additional DLC. That is Nintendo for you.

@Sourcecode Nice! I’m over 1400hrs in Splatoon 2, and yes I’m ready to go here already, lol

I still can't see why 3 needs to exist. From what they showed, it just looks to be an update for 2's gameplay, but as a full priced game. It doesn't seem to be doing anything actually new unlike 2 was towards 1. Should've waited for the next console to make a Splatoon 3.

Hopefully we see some big single-player stuff or some crazy new multiplayer additions/mechanics. I’m looking forward to it but I agree that most of what we’ve seen makes it seem like Splatoon 2.5.

I sold splatoon 2. Just so i can play splatoon 3 on launch day. I may have sold it a tad to early cause im missing the game sooo damm much

The most important question of all that will make or break Splatoon 3.....

Can we skip the intro?

@Lemonyoshi while it would be a good idea for them to explain that, if you're a player of Splatoon already, then you would already know they do a limited amount of Splatfests. Eventually the excitement is over, and It's just not the same.

Splatoon 3 will obviously explore a whole new arc of splatfests that go down in Splatoon history. I can't wait to see what happens.

i love splatoon but theyre really not doing a good job getting me pumped for this other than "new sequel for splatoon fans".

just show us new stuff already. theyre probably saving it for e3 season but saying "new game coming out!" over and over without showing the main modes is rubbing everyone the wrong way

Splatoon is my main sport since Wii U. It's going to be lovely to see new upgraded gear and customisation.

stupid me forgot that S2’s data doesn’t get backed up in the cloud and accidentally deleted all the data while switching over to the OLED, about 4/5 years worth. sooooo instead of starting back from level 1 on splatoon i’ll just wait for 3 to come out 😭

@Lemonyoshi the whole new single player story. The new multiplayer weapons, maps, and gear.

Think it is simple why you would get it if you have already played Splatoon 2.

Summer release? Or due to no zelda this year they might delay this game until the Christmas period

@VoidofLight
It's funny because that's what a lot of people said about 2. A lot of people were calling Splatoon 2, "Splatoon 1.5" and saying that it just felt like an expansion to the original plopped on Switch.

With this releasing on the same console as 2 though, it needs to do a good job of making itself different from 2 as people simply won't buy it if it's not worth it. Nobody wants "Splatoon 2.5" on the exact same system as 2, but we'll have to wait and see if that's how it turns out.

@UltimateOtaku91
The new Pokemon gen is out at the end of this year. That's the holiday 2022 game.

Is splatoon 2 still well populated? Might jump back on again this weekend, been over 12 months since I last played

@JR150 oh yeah forgot that was holiday as well depending on delays etc but also got xenoblade chronicles 3 in between. A delay to zelda might of been a good thing after all

@UltimateOtaku91
Yeah while Xenoblade isn't a big hitter like Zelda or Pokemon, the fact that it's coming out close to the holidays like Xenoblade 2 did (December 1, 2017) shows just how far it's come as a franchise. It went from being relatively unknown a decade ago and now it's selling millions per entry.

But yeah, Zelda being pushed back gives them extra time for those that like that game. I'm just concerned about Splat 3 offering enough new stuff to justify buying it when I've already played Splat 2 to death (and got bored of it).

At least it’s been 5 years since the last game instead of 1 or 2. The rest of the game industry’s iterative multiplayer games ain’t adding much, either. Moreover, a lot of people sound like they want 100% new stuff every time a sequel drops (like people and new versions of smartphones, amirite?). But the problem with that is you’ll get a series that tries to reinvent the wheel every single time at the cost of changing one too many things that don’t need fixing. You can’t change too much or else the game balance will get thrown off, especially for returning players, which will be where the majority of S3 players are coming from. The key is to put in just the right amount to give us a reason for a sequel.

Also, it used to be that a new story arc was all that was needed to justify a sequel, and S3 will be no different. Seeing what Splatoon 2 did by incorporating story mode gimmicks into multiplayer, we know to expect the same things to show up in Splatfests/Ranked/Salmon Run.

Need more proof? Go watch some S3 Trailer analysis videos from ThatSRB2Dude and others and really think about it. There are already some big gameplay changes happening.

And we absolutely have not seen everything yet. As half the total Splatoon 2 sales were in Japan, there is no doubt there will be a Splatoon 3 Direct showcasing everything! People really need to chill.

@JR150

It's funny because that's what a lot of people said about 2. A lot of people were calling Splatoon 2, "Splatoon 1.5" and saying that it just felt like an expansion to the original plopped on Switch.

It’s the bandwagoning/memeing/cool to hate on Nintendo culture. A.k.a. the vocal minority. Though when you cross platforms, you do get a bit of a pass. Splatoon 2 sold more than double what Splatoon 1 sold (12.68M vs 4.5M) so that’s a gain of at least 5.5 new players who can’t really sympathize with the ‘expansion’ angle, not including those that dropped Splatoon after the 1st game.

But yeah, there really needs to be enough new stuff in S3 to justify it’s existence to the uninitiated.

@masterLEON It's going to have a new story mode, new weapons, new maps, new theme. Difference is more than in any yearly Call of Duty / Fifa game.

Let us skip the News. Also, Moray go away!

@Lemonyoshi I totally agree. I mean years later they suddenly able to add new tracks expansion to Mario Kart 8.

But Splatoon 2 they just gave up on. If there is one game that could have been an excellent live service game, it would have been Splatoon 2. /shrug

There aren't a lot of games for Switch, where I'm waiting for right now.
But Splatoon 3 is one of them.
I think I'll freak out, if it will release and buy the whole collector crap like Amiibos, Controller and who knows what's coming. 😄

@ChameleonBros what?

@sixrings Whilst I do agree with you that Nintendo is just as happy in taking their customer/fans money as all companies I do think your comparison is a little off. For instance this is a completely new game, albeit another update style upgrade in the last game that came out 5 years ago. You have compared that to games that have yearly updated versions released, and then games that pretty much are picked up in bargain baskets that they rehashed to try selling on a console they never bothered with originally.
I guess you could say that these companies just use different strategies in order to try and achieve the same thing, but personally I prefer the Nintendo route to the wallet.

@dew12333 I understand what you’re saying. I think it will be a new experience too. However the person I was responding to thought it was going to be marginally different which is why I brought up those two successful yet annualized games. Nintendo doesn’t need to justify anything is my main opinion. Just don’t buy it if you want to make a stance. But know that 99% of the other splatoon owners will upgrade making part 2 more or less dead online.

@Lemonyoshi It's been five years and it will likely have way more differences from Splatoon 2 than all those yearly series. New arenas, weapons and modes coupled with a new story mode and an improved coop mode makes it totally worth it.

@masterLEON Splatoon 2 sold close to 13 million btw.

@Lemonyoshi wow, talk about missin' the mark! The gameplay is the story, not the pictures (that would make it a movie). The changes you're expecting are not what make a game a game, never mind a Nintendo game. They actually care about the story. The differences between games such as Smash and Splatoon and the different stories they tell [through interactional means] are subtle to those not entrenched in game design. Americans especially (as one myself) are particularly lost and blurred by being born into technology they misinterpret, like cutscenes being the "story".

Yet, you play games. The different weapons, levels, and spacing options will dictate a different feel than the second version. In this case, the story being told is ovb "chaos vs order".

In addition, the main narrative is the systemic issues of American capitalism which is told through the mode "Salmon Run", in which, like the military exploits of the U.S., you are "collecting" eggs (aka stealing) from foreign lands by shady people. They even have Salmon Run style "We Want YOU!" posters throughout. Love yall

The gameplay is the story, not the pictures (that would make it a movie). The changes you're expecting are not what make a game a game, never mind a Nintendo game. They actually care about the story. The differences between games such as Smash and Splatoon and the different stories they tell [through interactional means] are subtle to those not entrenched in game design. Americans especially (as one myself) are particularly lost and blurred by being born into technology they misinterpret, like cutscenes being the "story".

Yet, you play games. The different weapons, levels, and spacing options will dictate a different feel than the second version. In this case, the story being told is ovb "chaos vs order".

In addition, the main narrative is the systemic issues of American capitalism which is told through the mode "Salmon Run", in which, like the military exploits of the U.S., you are "collecting" eggs (aka stealing) from foreign lands by shady people. They even have Salmon Run style "We Want YOU!" posters throughout. Love yall

I don't understand the criticism and skepticism of Splatoon 3? For anyone who played S2, you know that the story mode (minus onto expansion) isn't THAT great. The gameplay is fine, but the story-telling side is quite interesting. I expect that this will update the story gameplay in new interesting ways, and will also build on the story (which makes sense for a sequel...).
The multi-player will get updated weapons and maps, and build upon the existing. Would it have been okay just to port Splatoon 1 to the Switch with no updates? I don't think so, and I'm pleased a Splatoon 2 was made (in 2017).

I honestly wish I was excited for this, but I'm not. Salmon run looks exactly the same, even using the same exact art style.

Where’s the release date?

I remember seeing in analysis videos of the reveal trailer that there's apparently a new movement technique in squid mode that allows you do dodge roll past specific attacks and zoom up walls. If that's actually what it is, then S3 may be far more different gameplay wise than we thought.

What a bunch of whiners! I'm actually looking forward to this game a lot!! And I started with the original on Wii-U. So eat my ink you complaining dust-monkey's!

Made an account just to post here. lol

A lot of people are trying to find a justification for a third game. They seem to be people that play the game only occasionally, but please correct me if I'm wrong! Your opinion isn't invalid just because of what I'm gonna say below.

Splatoon 2 already added a DLC called Octo Expansion which gave the option to create an Octoling character once completed. Adding the things that more daily/experienced players want to the game would require a huge revamp, effectively making it a different game, in my opinion.

Mostly everyone is looking forward to improvements like better matchmaking, point distribution and connectivity. It's by far the most frustrating part of the game. People also want to see a new world with new character customization and weapons. A new game will also add more attention to a game that is relying on fan-run tournaments to keep the competitive scene alive.

I'm no programmer, but I assume all these changes would be best left to a new game, especially now that it's been 5 years since release.

Even I have trouble justifying it, but a new game is very exciting for the part of the community that has been playing this game nonstop for the past 5 years with the same complaints day after day, myself included. If a new game brings even just a few of the improvements that we've been waiting for, both the more casual players (that play almost daily), the higher ranked players, and those in teams will DEFINITELY buy this without question. For those players for whom Splatoon 2 is pretty much a part of their daily lives, Splatoon 3 can't come soon enough.

@JR150 same can be said of Tennis…

What's with all the "they need to justify this" talk? No they don't. It will sell well. Get out of your bubble. You've no idea what they are even planning and doing anyway.

I sense a delay...

edit: Nintendo making me look like a clown part 52

@BTB20 Even better! But I was way off on the Japanese numbers, 3.5M. (Edit: I didn’t mention JP numbers at all; it’s late, I need speep, Lol)

I wonder if they'll actually make it a worthwhile game for folks who don't care about online play.

The game has also been classified by the Australian Classification Board, if that matters to anybody, and it received the same rating as the last two games: PG (Mild violence, online interactivity). No other classifiable elements were cited.

@VoidofLight : I think porting Splatoon 1 over now and launching Splatoon 3 alongside the next console would have made a lot more sense, but I don't call the shots.

@masterLEON It's at 4 million physical in Japan, so very likely over 5 million.

100% getting this day one. I loved the first two games (they are pretty much the only online multiplayer games I've ever enjoyed), and 2 in particular was a blast!

I had just started dating my soon-to-be-husband when it came out, and over the course of maybe 6 months we played around 300 hours of it together, passing the controller back and forth after each match while we hung out on the sofa. Now that he has his own Switch, we are planning to get two copies of Splatoon 3 at launch and really get into the game together (this time as newlyweds rather than a new couple).

I've gotta get more excited for this game. I loved Splatoon and Splatoon 2 so much, but I'm worried I may not be ready for more just yet? Guess I'll get it and find out!