Skip to main content

Splatoon 3 will recieve at least 2 years of support, expansion teased

Just a month before its September 9 release date, Splatoon 3 got a huge info dump via a 30-minute Nintendo Direct. The stream showed what we can expect from the upcoming Nintendo shooter and promises that there is going to be tons more coming with at least two years of support and a teased expansion.

Splatoon 3 Direct - Nintendo Switch

Yes, like in the previous entry, Splatoon 2Splatoon 3 will receive various free updates for two years after its release. The stream also showed a hint of a paid expansion featuring silhouettes of Splatoon 2‘s icon duo, Pearl and Marina. This DLC may be in the same vein as the Octo Expansion, which added a ton of content, including an entire story mode, to Splatoon 2.

Recommended Videos

The initial drop of Splatoon 3 is nothing to scoff at either. The game is bringing some new content to the ink-off, like the new in-game card game, Table Turf Battle. This mode is a deckbuilding remix of Turf War where cards are used to cover a grid of squares in ink. The player that inks the most wins.

The game is also bringing tons of new and old stages, weapons (including an ink sword called the Splatana and all the previous weapons), and special weapons. Nintendo promises a stage count of 22, with more to appear in future updates.

One of the biggest new additions is a Splatfest exclusive Turf War called Tricolored Turf War. This throws three teams against one another in a single turf war which sounds wonderfully chaotic.

Splatoon 3 is set to hit shelves and digital marketplaces on September 9.

DeAngelo Epps
Former Digital Trends Contributor
De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…
As the 3DS eShop closes, devs reflect on a golden age of Nintendo indies
Best Nintendo 3DS games

The 3DS eShop is no longer allowing Nintendo fans to make new game purchases, marking the end of a long era of DS-branded handhelds. Not only that, but it's also sunsetting a vibrant indie community in the process. After helping smaller developers break through with WiiWare and DSiWare, the 3DS eShop was where indies really started to flourish on Nintendo consoles. Multiple games and developers built success stories on the platform, starting series that are still recognized in the eyes of Nintendo fans and stand as some of the 3DS’ most iconic games.

Within a year of the eShop's launch, WayForward's Mighty Switch Force provided one of the system's best 3D experiences, Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudd showed the potential of a platformer where players can hop between the foreground and background, and Hörberg Productions' Gunman Clive provided a short, sweet, and cheap throwback platformer experience with lots of styles. By 2014, Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight had cemented itself as one of the best indie games of all time on the 3DS. Titles like that gave the 3DS a reputation as a haven for smaller developers. a platform where they could break out of a niche and connect with a larger audience.

Read more
The best Nintendo Switch exclusives of 2022: 9 standouts from the console’s banner year
Bayonetta jumps in front of text that says The Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives of 2022.

The Nintendo Switch turned five this year … and with that birthday came a wave of discourse. Fans are anxious for Nintendo to launch a new piece of hardware, whether that be a Switch Pro or a new console altogether. It’s an understandable request; the once magical Switch now seems a little less impressive in the age of the Steam Deck. However, this year once again proved why Nintendo can get away with aging hardware: its games are just that good.

Even without The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to cap it off, 2022 was a landmark year for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo delivered its best lineup of exclusive games since the console first launched in 2017 -- though it's no coincidence that some of this year’s best games were sequels to its first-year titles. We've put together a list of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives of 2022 below, but what's jaw-dropping is that this doesn't even include everything worth talking about. That's a testament to Nintendo's strong first-party support, which remains its unshakable secret weapon.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Read more
Splatoon 3 gets new ‘chill’ stages and weapons this December
Squid kids in Splatoon 3.

Splatoon 3 is getting a major update called Chill Season 2022 on December 1,. This free update includes new stages, weapons, and gear, plus a twist on the Salmon Run game mode.

Splatoon 3 – Chill Season 2022 Announcement – Nintendo Switch

Read more