Squids, gather your paint cans. Nintendo has released the most in-depth look at what to expect from Splatoon 3, the closest thing to an esport that the company still cares about. Splatoon 3 is just around the corner. Smash, I'm sorry. The 30-minute presentation included a rough roadmap for content updates after launch and covered everything from new stages to weapons (paint joke!). There will be a lot of ink to spill, so settle in.
The closest thing to an esport from Nintendo launches on September 9th.
As Nintendo has previously stated, Splatoon 3 is set in the sprawling city of Splatsville, situated in the desert of the Splatlands. There, inklings and octolings will battle to splatter paint across various stages as they plop, glop, and make other disgusting glooping noises. Some new weapons in Splatoon 3 are intended to help in the long-running color war. A splatana wiper, a windshield wiper that doubles as a sword and lets you fling paint in broad arcs, and bow-like weapons called stringers are new additions to the game.
Splatville offers a lot of activities for squid children. The game modes from previous Splatoon games like Turf War, Tower Control, Rainmaker, Clam Blitz, and Splat Zone will be back in Splatoon 3. Salmon Run, a horde mode-like mode, is back with fresh salmonid bosses to defeat.
You can buy various clothing items to personalize your character when you aren't playing. Some items even have unique qualities that, for example, increase your running speed. You can add any trait to your favorite item of clothing thanks to a special Splatsville resident; they don't seem to be unlocked through microtransactions.
You can participate in Turf War in Splatoon 3 without wasting any paint. A deckbuilding mini-game called Table Turf Battle is brand-new to the game. By playing Table Turf Battle, you can acquire more than 150 cards representing the various weapons in Splatoon 3. You place the cards on the playing field to cover as much of the playing field as you can with your color. Table Turf Battle's specifics are still unknown, but you can challenge Splatsville's inhabitants to compete for rewards.
Players can download a demo of Splatoon 3 before its September 9 launch to participate in a special prelaunch Splatfest on August 27. Along with the return of Deep Cut, Splatfest, Splatoon's recurring online multiplayer event, has a new broadcast team. This time, there will be three colored teams to choose from rather than just two, and the Splatfest results will be decided in a tricolor Turf War match.
For Splatoon 3, Nintendo appears to have big plans. Following the launch, the game is anticipated to receive free content updates with new cosmetics every three months for two years, as well as the addition of new weapons around the same time. Largely paid DLC expansions were also hinted at, but the release date of the first one is still unknown.
It appears that Splatoon 3 is the series' most jam-packed game. On September 9, it made its Nintendo Switch debut.
