Update [Wed 21st Dec, 2022 16:00 GMT]: With the official Tricolor announcement now made available in English, we have substituted out the original Japanese post with the one from @SplatoonNA and have made some tweaks to our wording to better reflect this new addition.
All updated information can now be found in the article below.
Original article [Wed 21st Dec, 2022 12:00 GMT]: Just last week we learned of the next Splatfest coming to Splatoon 3 (come on Team Spicy!) which is bound to be another fun weekend of competitive splatting. If there is one thing that we have felt a little cheated by so far, however, it is the rarity of the new Tricolor Turf Wars - one of the game's big selling points.
Fortunately, it now seems like the times are a-changing, as the new game mode will become a selectable option at the midpoint of the next Splatfest. Up until now, the new take on the classic Turf War format was something of a rarity after the mode's frequency was reduced following the Splatfest World Premiere. Even when selecting the 'Tricolour Match' option in previous events, many found themselves simply playing in standard Turf Wars instead. The chance to opt-in to only this frantic game mode will mean that we will finally have the chance to get a better understanding of what it is all about.
The news was shared (fittingly) across a trio of tweets from the official @SplatoonNA account, giving a taste of what this selectable will look like on the standard game menu. It seems that the mode will still be available from the Splatfest's midpoint, with those choosing to get involved winding up on either the attacking or defending team.
But wait, that's not all! It looks like the Tricolor mode is getting shaken up even more in line with the next Splatfest. Marked in the same thread as the above tweet, the official Splatoon account announced that Tricolor matches will now have more influence over the event's results thanks to a handy new feature called 'Tricolor Clout'. This introduction will award different amounts of clout based on your team's position and whether you are attacking or defending in the battle. Those leading the event at halftime will now get a 1.5x bonus when on the defending team, while those behind will get 1.5x more when attacking.
Which side you find yourself on will be randomised before the game, so nobody is going to end up with the same bonuses time and time again. This should, hopefully, bring people back around to the new game mode by providing a nice incentive to sway the tide in the final hours of play.
We will have to wait until the Splatfest next month to see this new feature in action. For all of the information on January's Splatoon 3 event and the results of Splatfests past, check out our handy guide below: