Splatoon - Timeline
Saturday22nd Jul 2017
News The Inkbrush Will Kick Off Splatoon 2's Free Additions on Launch Weekend
Inked in
Splatoon 2 is out and plenty are up-and-running in the various online modes. Nintendo, for its part, has promised a full year of additions in free updates, which should include gear, weapons and occasionally stages and other meatier content. The launch weekend will be in on the action, it's been confirmed, with the familiar Inkbrush due to...
Friday21st Jul 2017
Gallery Splatoon 2 Squid "Air Mascots" Released in Japan
Blowing hot air
Coinciding with the worldwide release of Splatoon 2, Bandai has released a set of inkling inflatables known as "Air Mascots" through toy capsules. The collectible squids come in six variations being blue, green, olive, pink, purple and yellow. There is also the opportunity to find Judd the cat as a special bonus. The capsules...
Friday14th Jul 2017
News Here's the Map Rotation and Weapons for the Splatoon 2 Splatfest World Premiere
Splat 'em up
The Splatoon 2 Splatfest World Premiere is almost upon us, so you should get ready for the action. It'll be Team Cake vs. Team Ice Cream in the West - Japan is a bit different - and there'll be Turf Wars to decide which is better. Nintendo UK has now confirmed the map rotations and weapons for the event. We suspect it'll be the same...
Reminder Here Are the Times for the Splatoon 2 Splatfest World Premiere
It varies per region
Splatoon 2 is now just one week away, and is all set to be the next big thing for the Nintendo Switch. Many will hope so, in any case, and Nintendo is certainly keen for Switch owners to go hands on and get drawn in by its charms. We'll see that this weekend with the Splatfest World Premiere, in which fans of cake will battle...
News We All Need These Splatoon 2 Splat Dualie Water Pistols In Our Lives
Double up
Splatoon is a series which lends itself to irresistible merchandising opportunities, be they cute plush toys or themed towels. However, one line of toys which has done very well so far is the range of official Splatoon water pistols; released alongside the first ga
Wednesday12th Jul 2017
Video "The World is Your Playground" - Nintendo's Pitch for Splatoon 2 and Nintendo Switch
Ink everywhere
With Splatoon 2 now only a little over a week away - how time flies! - Nintendo is ramping up its marketing for the Switch title. The latest trailer to be posted on YouTube by Nintendo of Europe shows various players tackling the game at home and on the go, with the slogan "the world is your playground" being used. Check it out...
Tuesday11th Jul 2017
Video Digital Foundry Breaks Down Splatoon 2's Tech Improvements Over Its Predecessor
"Another feather in Nintendo's cap"
Today you'll have seen plenty of previews go up for Splatoon 2, including our own here at Nintendo Life. It's been all about the single player mode, which is understandable as all Switch owners will be able to try out more online play this weekend in the first Splatfest. During the recent Splatoon Direct,...
Preview Going Solo in Splatoon 2's Single Player Hero Mode
Off we go to Octo Canyon
Due to the online servers not yet being available this preview is entirely focused around the single player campaign. Make sure you keep an eye out for our full review where we look at the whole kit and caboodle! If there’s one complaint people had about the original Splatoon it’s that the single player Hero Mode,...
Friday7th Jul 2017
Video Let's Run Through All the New Stuff We Learnt in the Splatoon 2 Direct
52 tasty chunks in video gravy
There was a lot of information to take in in the recent Splatoon 2 Nintendo Direct, and a lot of it was bundled in with a load of stuff we already knew, clearly for the uninitiated that were watching. As such you'd be forgiven for missing a few of the smaller things of note here and there, so we decided it would...
Tuesday4th Jul 2017
News Get Ready For Splatoon 2 With This Ink-redible Art Book
320 pages of Splatoon goodness
We're about to go into Splatoon 2 overdrive, starting with the Nintendo Direct this Thursday. It's clear that Nintendo are going really big on this colouful sequel to the much loved Wii U series debut. With an insane about of Splatoon merch coming out this month, Nintendo also seems to be banking on the franchise big t
Saturday1st Jul 2017
News Nintendo Ramps Up Splatoon 2 Promotion With Nintendo Minute and Fresh TV Trailer
So many photogenic millennials
Up to now the Nintendo Switch has, we think it's fair to say, had a strong start and earned a positive reputation with the public. Marketing has been interesting as a result, with Nintendo able to move on from the "what is it?" phase that made promoting Wii U so tough (and the 3DS, initially), and focus on the concept...
Wednesday24th May 2017
Gallery The Squid Research Lab Gives an Update on Inkling Fashion in Splatoon 2
Strike a pose
The original Splatoon immediately resonated with fans for its quirky look and outrageous fashion. Now with Splatoon 2 on the horizon the Squid Research Lab has discovered that there will be a new wardrobe available from day one. In this timeline two years have passed since the first Splatoon outing, meaning that fashion and styles have...
Friday19th May 2017
Video Chill Out Listening to the Entire Squid Sisters Stories Saga
Read by our resident Alex
Now that the preamble to the story of Splatoon 2 appropriately titled Squid Sister Stories has concluded, we felt it was worth making a song and dance about the story as a whole. We then scrapped the singing and dancing and opted for a more straight-laced reading of the piece. You can watch or even really just listen to...
Friday12th May 2017
News Squid Sisters Stories Chapter 5 Brings More Sibling Secrets and Angst
"She was reminded just how much she loved the place where she'd grown up"
Nintendo's Squid Sisters Stories, a set of teen-drama chapters revolving around Marie and Callie from Splatoon, have been among the pre-release promotional efforts for the Splatoon 2 release on Switch. It's a cute nod to the lore of the young series and the popularity of the...
Tuesday9th May 2017
News A Trip to Arowana Mall for the Squid Sisters Shows Promise in Chapter 4
Is there hope yet?
Promotion for Splatoon 2 has been colourful to say the least, and Nintendo has been releasing 'chapters' of story detailing the ongoing saga surrounding the Squid Sisters. The readings follow their relationship and unexpected popularity since the original Splatfests in Splatoon. After mysteri
Friday5th May 2017
News Mysterious Meetings and Cancelled Recording Sessions in Squid Sisters Stories, Chapter 3
The Splatoon 2 story continues...
Plenty of Nintendo Switch owners are looking forward to Splatoon 2, but regardless Nintendo is utilising some quirky content to promote the game. Primarily published through its official sites, the Squid Sisters Stories have been used as a way to tell the tale of the performer's 'lives' since Splatoon on Wii U. It...
Tuesday25th Apr 2017
News Nintendo Confirms Splatoon 2 'Exhibition Tournament' for E3 2017
Splat that
With Nintendo due to reveal its annual financial results on 27th April, we're getting to the point where it typically outlines its E3 plans - well, Nintendo of America is teasing details early. We're hopeful of a big E3, and it seems a live event is on the cards - a Splatoon 2 'Exhibition Tournament' is coming to the expo. [tweet This...
News Jakks Pacific Cites Splatoon 2 Toys as Part of 2017 Plans
Toy maker highlights the launch of the Switch as a boost to its business
Jakks Pacific is a brand that'll be familiar to plenty of parents, responsible for a range of popular toys including the 'World of Nintendo' range. In recent years the toy maker has continually refreshed the Nintendo line-up, with some 2016 additions including figures related...
Friday21st Apr 2017
News Nintendo Unveils Starfish Mainstage Arena for Splatoon 2
"Considered a bit of a holy site for devotees of rock music"
The Splatoon IP has forged a passionate fanbase in various ways, and one feature that's captured fans is the music. The soundtrack of the first game was so well received that numerous live concerts and events took place in Japan and also featured a few times in the West. Splatoon 2 will...
Sunday16th Apr 2017
News Splatoon's New Manga Serialization Launches in Coro Coro on 15th May
An inkredible manga announcement
In celebration of the upcoming Nintendo Switch game Splatoon 2, Coro Coro Comics revealed in the latest issue of the magazine that a new Splatoon manga will launch in next month's issue; a full preview was also given. The author of this new series, Sankichi Hinodeya, released a one-shot comic for Splatoon 2 in March,...
Thursday13th Apr 2017
Soapbox ARMS is the New Splatoon for the Nintendo Switch Generation
It's like an onion
ARMS has layers. Many, many layers. That is at least if the latest Nintendo Direct is to be believed. What started out as an apparently straightforward and limited beat-em-up with motion controls has rapidly been extrapolated into something far grander than we think many people expected. Sound familiar? Sounds just like how...
News New Splatoon, Legend of Zelda and Super Smash Bros. amiibo Announced
Wallets groan
The amiibo train steamrolls on, for Nintendo have announced 12 new amiibo coming to store shelves this summer in its latest Nintendo Direct. New The Legend of Zelda amiibo: First up is an arguably strange choice - more Zelda amiibo! To be specific, this includes three versions of Link from past The Legend of Zelda games Majora's...
Wednesday12th Apr 2017
News Get Colourful With A Splatoon-Themed Casio Baby-G Watch
Now that's a smart watch!
While players like Apple, Samsung and LG are fighting between themselves to come up with the best smartwatch solution, it's refreshing that Casio are staying old school with their new Baby-G series which have a Splatoon theme. These funky colourful seemingly indestructible watches come in two designs. The white Baby-G...
Thursday30th Mar 2017
News The Splatoon U.S. Inkling Open Has a Trip to E3 Up for Grabs
Splatting it old school
A lot of the talk in the past week has been around Splatoon 2, but let's not forget that the original Splatoon is still very much active and a hoot to play. Now Nintendo of America has teamed up with Battlefy to promote an online tournament in the original with a cool prize - a trip for four to this year's E3. Battlefy is a...
Friday24th Mar 2017
News ESL Go4Splatoon Europe Grand Final to be Broadcast Live on 1st April
Splatoon 2 exhibition match also confirmed
Over a number of months Nintendo has been teamed up with ESL in a search for the best Splatoon team in Europe, a contest designed to boost the eSports credentials and popularity of the IP. There have been monthly events and contests at expos, and now we're gearing up for the grand final in Paris in which...
Tuesday14th Mar 2017
News You Can Now Download The Splatoon 2 Global Testfire On Your Switch, But There's A Catch
Won't go live until the 24th
If you are as excited as us about the upcoming Splatoon 2 Global Testfire event then you'll be interested to learn that you can download the demo right now from the Japanese Nintendo Switch eShop and stare at a placeholder screen until the event starts on 24th March. The demo
Monday13th Feb 2017
News Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Demo Details Confirmed for Europe
The world will be testing the servers together
At the weekend Nintendo revealed and outlined details for the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Demo in North America and Japan. It's now been confirmed for Europe, too, with the times confirming that players will be tackling each other from across the Atlantic. With the times matching up between regions that...
Talking Point Splatoon 2 is Set to be a Vital Early Arrival on Nintendo Switch
The Global Testfire adds some extra spice
When Splatoon was unveiled at E3 2014, this writer was initially unsure of its appeal. Then the reaction of the community on these pages began to take shape, and fans tweeted, and the fan-art began - it was evident that Nintendo had produced a new IP with huge potential. By the time we got closer to its...
Sunday12th Feb 2017
News Splatoon 2 Global Testfire To Take Place During Nintendo Switch Launch Month
You'll be able to use your Splatoon amiibo, too
Nintendo has revealed that a Splatoon 2 Global Testfire event will take place shortly after the launch of the Switch, giving owners a chance to sample the sequel for free. The demo will be available for download from the eShop and in terms of content will include four different main weapons, including...
Saturday11th Feb 2017
News Splatoon 2's Event and eSports Credentials Boosted by LAN Play and Spectator View
"LAN Play is where it’s at" for competitive events
Since Nintendo's 'preview trailer' that ended with a showcase of a Splatoon 2 competitive event (albeit the sequel wasn't formally confirmed at that point), it's been clear that the Switch could be well equipped for the eSports scene. Nintendo has now outlined two key features in the sequel...
