Nintendo’s Splatoon game franchise has been in the news a lot recently, as the game franchise has released many interesting updates in the last few days.
At the beginning of June, the game celebrated its 10th anniversary, with the first official trailer of the game having been released during E3 2024. It had changed the format of online shooter games, transforming them into a family-friendly experience that has proven extremely popular throughout the decade.
Since its initial release, the game has been played in various ways, with the esports version perhaps being one of the most recognizable. There have been many who have used the best betting sites in USA to place wagers on the action, with players adding to the live streams that they watch when watching some of the best players in the world go at each other. They can use bonuses that are available while incorporating their betting sessions with other esports or sporting events at the same time, if they wish.
Of course, with the popularity that has been enjoyed, Nintendo has clearly found a golden egg with this series. They are keen to capitalize on it, with exciting updates having emerged about the future of the game and what we can come to expect.
New Spin-Off out of nowhere!
As highlighted in an earlier article, players will receive a spin-off of the game with the release of Splatoon Raiders. This game will be made exclusively for the Switch 2 and will see players going to the Spirhalite Islands with the Deep Cut trio. The release date for this game remains unknown as of June 21, with the official website still listing it as 'TBD'.
Free Update for Splatoon 3
As also referenced before, a free update has been provided to Splatoon 3, with it having arrived on June 12. This update was made available for players using Switch and Switch 2, and was known as ‘update 10.0.0’.
In the update, players were able to enjoy an enhanced Splatlands collection, with new and improved weapons being made available, some of which came from the Barazushi and Emberz brands. A total of 30 new weapon kits were also made available.
It was a massive update, as there was the reintroduction of an original stage from the Wii U version of the game known as Urchin Underpass. It was included as one of the stage rotation options, allowing players to go back and enjoy a classic experience. In addition, new gamification features were added, with players able to claim new in-game Badges, take advantage of the new ‘Series Weapon Power’ stat in Anarchy Battle (Series). It is designed to track a player’s effectiveness per weapon based on their win/loss ratio in battles and match them with similarly ranked players.
New Summer Nights Splatfest Event
In more major news, Nintendo recently announced that there will be an upcoming Splatoon 3 Splatfest. It has been called ‘Summer Nights Splatfest’ and is a special that will take place between July 11 and July 13.
As noted by the official Twitter (X) account, “this year's vacation-y question: Which would you rather travel by? Land, Sea, or Air?” Players will be split into teams based on their preferred choice, competing in a three-way competition. It will be the first time that a three-way competition is held, as the battles usually consist of two teams.
Previous events have included battles over personal preferences, such as cats versus dogs, Pokémon Red versus Pokémon Blue, and more. In true style, there doesn’t seem to be any tie to the game itself with the latest upcoming Splatfest.
In addition, there will be some returning gear for the event. It has already been revealed that four items of headgear will be made available, including the Hivemind Antenna glasses, Eye of Justice helmet, Jetflame Crest helmet, and Fierce Fishskull helmet. These were all initially introduced into the game back in 2019 when they were made as promotional items in the Chaos vs Order Splatfest. However, players will only be able to claim these items through a Splatoon 3 News article on their Switch.
It will be the first Splatfest to take place following the graphical downgrade that Splatoon 3 went through. This made it possible to be played on Switch and allows gamers to enjoy multiplayer battles against those who have purchased and use the upgraded Switch 2 device.
Exciting times for Splatoon fans
With the latest news regarding the Splatoon franchise, there is a lot for fans of the game series to look forward to in the upcoming weeks and months. While the release date for Splatoon Raiders remains undetermined, the massive update and upcoming Splatfest in July should be enough to keep fans occupied and happy for the time being.
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