Nintendo Direct

Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations hosted by various staff members of Nintendo several times a year to make announcements about various subjects across the company. On several occasions, Splatoon games have been mentioned and revealed in these videos.

Nintendo Digital Event @ E3 2014
During this presentation on 2014-06-10, was announced to be released. A trailer, featuring various multiplayer aspects, was shown, as well as a short interview with Tsubasa Sakaguchi, Hisashi Nogami and Yusuke Amano in Japanese. Various elements in this trailer were either altered or not included in the final version of the game.

Nintendo Direct: 5 November 2014


During this presentation, the first trailer of Splatoon's single-player campaign was shown. It debuted various types of Octarians and showcased many levels.

Nintendo Direct: 1 April 2015


During this presentation, the Splatoon amiibo series was announced, as well as the release date of the game.

Splatoon Direct


On 2015-05-07, a few weeks before Splatoon's launch, a Nintendo Direct specifically about it was made. This presentation went into detail about various aspects of the game, some of which had never been seen before.

This Direct revealed many important characters, including Cap'n Cuttlefish, the Squid Sisters and their Splatfests, and the shopkeepers Annie, Moe, Jelonzo, Crusty Sean, Sheldon, and Spyke, alongside their shops in Booyah Base. It also revealed the Urchin Underpass, Arowana Mall, and Saltspray Rig stages, as well as a glimpse of the upcoming Camp Triggerfish.

The Splattershot, Aerospray MG, Jet Squelcher, Blaster, Splat Roller, Dynamo Roller, Inkbrush, Splat Charger, Splatterscope, and E-liter 3K were also shown off in depth, alongside sub weapons and special weapons.

Other newly-revealed topics included gear abilities and the use of Super Sea Snails, the Splatoon Global Testfire available the next day, and arcade machine mini-games. It was also announced that Inkling costumes would be available in Super Smash Bros. 4 from the next day.

Nintendo Direct: 12 November 2015


During this presentation, Version was shown off, including the new gear. Two new stages, Museum d'Alfonsino and Mahi-Mahi Resort were shown.

Nintendo Direct: 3 March 2016


During this presentation, Version was announced, and many new weapons in the Sheldon's Picks range were announced.

Nintendo Switch Presentation
After being previously teased at the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer on 2016-10-20, this presentation on 2017-01-12 fully revealed Splatoon 2. It showed off the new Splat Dualies, sub and special weapons, the new hub world of Inkopolis Square and hinted at a new single-player campaign. Also showed off various ways Splatoon 2 could be played.

Nintendo Direct: 12 April 2017
During this presentation, Splatoon 2 had its release date announced, as well as a preview of Salmon Run. A new line of amiibo was announced, as well as confirming that the previous figures would be compatible. However, their functionality was not confirmed.

ARMS Direct


Although revealed as focusing exclusively on ARMS, this Direct on 2017-05-17 also showed a trailer for Splatoon 2's single-player campaign, and the final chapter of Squid Sisters Stories was released afterwards. New themed accessories were also shown off, such as Splatoon-themed Joy-Con, Switch Pro Controller and carrying case, as well as new bundles. These were not announced in the North American and Australian Directs.

Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017
This presentation on 2017-06-13 briefly talked about the Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational that was being held at E3 that year.

Splatoon 2 Direct


This Direct on 2017-07-06 looked at the new customisation options, the new shops and their owners, Murch, new gear, amiibo functions, provided an overview of the modes Regular and Ranked Battle, and revealed League Battle. It also included further details on Salmon Run, Octo Canyon and Splatfests, the reveal of Off the Hook and SplatNet 2, the announcement of upcoming content updates, including the Splat Brella and the Bubble Blower, and the announcement of the Splatoon 2 Splatfest World Premiere.

Nintendo Direct: 13 September 2017
Revealed that Kelp Dome was returning on 2017-09-15, while Snapper Canal and the Tenta Brella were revealed as coming in further updates.

Nintendo Direct: 8 March 2018
Showed contents of Version, including 100 new pieces of gear, Rank X, new stages such as Piranha Pit, Camp Triggerfish, and Wahoo World and Callie appearing in Octo Canyon after finishing the story. Showed off the reveal trailer for the Octo Expansion and the reveal of a new Super Smash Bros. game in which Inkling would debut as a fighter.

Nintendo Direct: E3 2018
This Direct on 2018-06-12 showcased various elements of the Inkling's moveset in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and revealed the Squid Sisters as a new Assist Trophy.

Nintendo Direct: 13 September 2018
Revealed contents of Version, including a new stage Skipper Pavilion, new weapons from the Kensa Collection, two new sub-weapons (Fizzy Bomb and Torpedo) and two new special weapons (Ultra Stamp and Booyah Bomb).

Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct
This Direct on 2020-09-03 revealed the Super Mushroom vs. Super Star Splatfest event taking place to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. series. It also revealed various merchandise coinciding with the Splatfest including T-shirts and keychains.

Nintendo Direct: 17 February 2021
At the very end of this Direct, was revealed for the first time, and with a 2022 release window on Nintendo Switch. It revealed the new setting of Splatsville and the Splatlands alongside a new stage (later named Scorch Gorge), many new customisation options, Smallfry, new and returning main and special weapons, including what was later named the Tri-Stringer, and new movement options. While hard to spot, the Splat Bomb was also shown to return.

Nintendo Direct: 23 September 2021
Splatoon 3's single-player mode, Return of the Mammalians, was revealed during this Direct, confirming the appearances of the new Agent 3, the Squid Sisters, Agent 3, Craig Cuttlefish, DJ Octavio, Judd, Li'l Judd, the Fuzzy Octarians, and Alterna. In multiplayer, Eeltail Alley, the Big Bubbler, the Zipcaster, and C-Side were revealed, as were the names of Scorch Gorge, the Trizooka, the Killer Wail 5.1, and the Crab Tank. The returns of Museum d'Alfonsino and several main and sub weapons were also confirmed.

Nintendo Direct: 9 February 2022
This presentation announced Salmon Run Next Wave for Splatoon 3. The trailer detailed the Sockeye Station stage, the Fish Stick and Flipper-Flopper Boss Salmonids, the Egg Throw move, and hinted at the appearance of the King Salmonid. Afterwards, the game's "Summer 2022" release window was confirmed.

Splatoon 3 Direct


This Direct on 2022-08-10 revealed the Hagglefish Market stage alongside the returns of Hammerhead Bridge, Mahi-Mahi Resort, Inkblot Art Academy, Sturgeon Shipyard, MakoMart, and Wahoo World, with Flounder Heights and another new stage (later named Um'ami Ruins) coming through updates.

The splatana class of main weapons was announced with the Splatana Wiper, as well as the Tacticooler, Wave Breaker, and Reefslider special weapons and the return of several specials. It also confirmed the new shops, Naut Couture, Man-o'-Wardrobe, Crush Station, and Hotlantis, and their owners, with the return of Murch.

In terms of battles, Anarchy Battles were confirmed to replace Ranked Battles, new functionality of the Test Range was shown alongside the customizable locker room and Splashtags, as well as Tableturf Battles. Additional details were also revealed for Salmon Run Next Wave and Return of the Mammalians.

In Splatsville, Crab-N-Go was shown off with the returns of The Shoal, photo mode, and recon. SplatNet 3 and new amiibo figures were also announced, followed by the confirmation of major updates for two years including major DLC starring Off the Hook. Finally, Splatfests were confirmed to return, hosted by Deep Cut and including Tricolor Turf War battles. The Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere demo, featuring the Rock vs. Paper vs. Scissors Splatfest, was confirmed to be held on 2022-08-27 with pre-orders available immediately afterwards.

Nintendo Direct: 13 September 2022
This presentation briefly confirmed the Gear vs. Grub vs. Fun Splatfest as the first post-launch Splatfest for to be held on 2022-09-24 at July 27, 2024. It also reconfirmed the existence of future content updates coming soon in the future.

Nintendo Direct: 8 February 2023
This presentation saw the announcement of paid DLC, Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass. The first wave contained Inkopolis and the second wave teased Side Order. The Expansion Pass was able to pre-order after the Direct, with the first wave stated to launch in Spring 2023 and the second wave by the end of 2024.