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Splatoon 3 is officially still on track for arrival in 2022, as confirmed in its inclusion during a Nintendo commercial that aired at The Game Awards 2021. Unfortunately, that’s about all Nintendo has had to say regarding Splatoon 3 since it shared the September Direct Splatoon 3 trailer, which included a look at both multiplayer gameplay and our first significant teaser of what strange business we’ll get up to in the single-player campaign.
The trailer offers teasers of some of the new and updated specials we’ll be able to use in Turf Wars and other competitive multiplayer modes, including the extremely freaky ability to turn your arm into a squid-ink grappling hook and fling yourself across the map. We also get our first confirmed look at the new “Mammalian” menace coming to threaten squid kids and octo youths everywhere. Aren’t furry creatures supposed to be extinct? Besides Judd, I mean? In any case, here’s what we know about Splatoon 3 so far.
When is the Splatoon 3 release date?
(Image credit: Nintendo)The Splatoon 3 release date is 2022, which is both a long ways off and extremely non-specific, but at least it’s something. The original Splatoon arrived on Wii U in May 2015 and Splatoon 2 hit Switch in July 2017, and all the bright colors and water-gun-inspired weaponry give Splatoon a distinctly summery vibe as well. If you’re thirsty enough to indulge in some Splatoon 3 release date speculation, we could preliminarily narrow that window a bit to summer 2022; still, officially speaking, the Splatoon 3 release date is just 2022.
Watch the first Splatoon 3 trailerNintendo revealed the Splatoon 3 trailer during its February Direct presentation, and you could hardly ask for a better debut. The trailer follows an Inkling on their journey from the Splatlands to the massive, chaotic city of Splatsville. We get an early look at character creation – which we’ll go into more in a bit – and we also see an unexpected landmark: the Eiffel Tower ripped from its foundations and wedged upside down in a giant pit. It may seem like a random addition to the world, but if you’ve been paying attention to the Splatoon lore (oh yeah, there’s lore) you already know the series takes place on Earth many, many years after humans went extinct. Once our Inkling hero arrives in Splatsville, they head straight into a Turf War to show off their new abilities and weapons.
Splatoon 3 weapons – What’s new?
(Image credit: Nintendo)The trailer revealed some Splatoon 3 weapons returning from previous games, including new looks for the trusty .96 Gal and the Range Blaster. The main Inkling wields an all-new bow weapon, which seems to fire three “strings” of ink at once. The strings all fling out vertically when jumping, but it looks like you may be able to fire them horizontally to cover more turf if you remain on the ground. We also get a teaser of some special weapons, including what appear to be modified Tenta Missiles and a deployable crab-bot. Research note: even Splatoon special weapons are subject to carcinisation…
Splatoon 3 idols – who will they be?
(Image credit: Nintendo)The Splatoon 3 idols haven’t been revealed yet, but here’s what we know so far. Splatoon introduced us to Callie and Marie as the Squid Sisters (and we know they’ll return again in the latest game, at least in the campaign), then Splatoon 2 turned the spotlight to Pearl and Marina, AKA Off the Hook. The relatively short-lived fame of Splatoon idols mirrors real-life celebrity turnover, so it’s a good bet that we’ll get a new pair of stars to keep us up-to-date on the latest splat-happenings in Splatoon 3. Is it too much to hope for a Salmonid/Jellyfish punk duo?
Splatoon 3 character customization
(Image credit: Nintendo)It looks like Splatoon 3 character customization will be more extensive and representative than ever before. The trailer shows you’ll be able to pick between playing an Inkling or an Octoling right from the start, and you just select a visual body type instead of being required to choose a gendered option. Both species sport new hairstyles, including braids and more close-cropped looks. It doesn’t end with your squid/octo kid though – you can also pick out a hairstyle for your adorably weird pet smallfry. Hopefully your little buddy doesn’t know how many of its kind we splatted back in Salmon Run…
Splatoon 3 story mode – Who are the Mammalians?
(Image credit: Nintendo)We’ve finally gotten our first look at Splatoon 3 story mode, and it’s thrown a real curveball at our understanding of the Splatoon-iverse (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves – please don’t start calling it that). The “Return of the Mammalians” trailer showed some familiar Octarian foes clad in strange, dark fur – and also parts of the environment with the same furry coating. It looks like you’ll need to clean up some of that fur as you go with the help of your Salmonid small fry pet, but the question of how it got there in the first place remains. Is this post-human-apocalypse world harboring more than the evolved sea creatures we’ve met so far? More than them and Judd and Judd Jr., we mean?
Despite being multiplayer-focused games, both Splatoon and Splatoon 2 had surprisingly fun and extensive single-player campaigns. There’s little doubt that Splatoon 3 will follow suit. We fought a secret war against Octarian armies in the last two games, but now that Inklings are living in peace with Octolings – a prominent subspecies of the Octarians – will the Mammalians be our new enemy?
Find more Nintendo titles we’re looking forward to in our list of upcoming Switch games.
I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University – though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I’ve previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I’m a staff writer here at GamesRadar.
