Rumors and leaks

There have been several rumors and leaks regarding Splatoon content - some were created by the community, while others were sparked by the developers themselves.

Ongoing
This is a list of rumors and leaks that have neither been confirmed true nor false.

New Salmon Run Next Wave enemies
OatmealDome on Twitter tweeted that four currently unused filenames for Salmon Run Next Wave enemies were found in the game's code. They are called, "Balloon", "BigBalloon", "Ghost", and "Wheel".

According to OatmealDome, BigBalloon is likely a King Salmonid, as there is unique dialogue for Mr. Grizz when it appears, similar to Cohozuna. It also appears to have the ability to create an ink explosion, and that it may be restricted to move on a rail rather than moving freely. This is not Horrorboros, as its filename is "SakeRope".

Balloon can also apparently create an explosion, although it is unknown if it is related to BigBalloon.

Ghost appears to create some sort of smoke effect, and Wheel has no information other than its name.

According to the leaker there are no assets in the files for any of the enemies.

In July 2023, dataminer Ashbinary tweeted that the "Ghost" salmonid can apply a Toxic Mist effect on the player if they touch its smoke, similar to the Ink Vac's "sucking up" effect. It was also revealed that "Ghost", "Wheel", and "Balloon" are most likely Boss Salmonids, and that "BigBalloon" is a King Salmonid.

New Salmon Run Next Wave mode
A new Salmon Run Next Wave mode was leaked by LeanYoshi. Its codename is "Underground", and it will be a harder version of normal Salmon Run. It is currently under development and unfinished for most parts, according to the dataminer. In this mode, all Boss Salmonids have 30% more HP than normal and most Salmonids also move 30% faster. Additionally, each wave there will be two bosses that drop Big Golden Eggs, similar to those used in the Rocket Battle in Return of the Mammalians. These Golden Eggs count for five normal Golden Eggs each.

Interestingly, these Big Golden Eggs were once intended to be in the Giant Tornado event. There is an unused flag that tells the game to spawn these giant eggs when a player breaks a crate. These would be worth 10 normal Golden Eggs in that mode.

Returning Splatoon 2 stages
Version 5.0.0 of Splatoon 3 added 181 new decorations, three of which can have a possible hint at two stages returning from the previous game: the orca fossil, which was seen hanging from the ceiling in Shellendorf Institute, and the open-and-closed-mouth mudskipper sculptures, from Skipper Pavilion.

If Shellendorf Institute returns, Nintendo may have to redo its layout for all modes, due to Splatoon 3 using spawner drones rather than the classic spawners seen in the first two games. Skipper Pavilion, on the other hand, would fit very well with Splatsville's Japanese-like aesthetic.

Fans have speculated the orca fossil can have some sort of relation with the release of Side Order, so releasing said stages along with the campaign in Fresh Season 2024 would be a good fit along with the unreleased gear set to be added in the same season.

Return of Bluefin Depot
With the release of version 5.0.1 of Splatoon 3, two new adjective titles related to future stages were added to the files, one of which is for Bluefin Depot from the original Splatoon game, meaning that it could possibly return for Chill Season 2023; the other adjective is for a stage that will be something completely brand new, so not much information is known.

New Side Order leaks
Some new info on Side Order was leaked by dataminer NachoL__. According to Nacho, it appears that in every previous Splatfest some new strings related to the mode have been able to be seen from the "Developer Tags" byml in Splatfest BCAT data. Some even date back as early as the Splatfest World Premiere, meaning that the mode was planned from before the game's release. This leak contained strings for different scenes, actor files, potential enemies and even the return of the 8-ball. A list of names were also shown, e.g. "Person_Sdodr_Inoue" which could potentially be used in the credits scene. In the Splatfest Vanilla vs. Strawberry vs. Mint Chip however, Nintendo removed all related strings and might not include any more in the future.

According to the leaker, there are no assets in the files for any scenes, objects or enemies.

Changed or scrapped
A list of rumors and leaks that were either changed before being implemented in-game, or ultimately never released. This was completely changed in Splatoon 3, to ensure that most of the future seasonal content doesn't get leaked onto the Internet early by dataminers before said data is distributed in software updates.

OatmealDome leak on Reddit
In August 2017, Reddit user OatmealDome made two posts with data mined information from which had not been officially revealed at the time. Many upcoming Splatoon 2 weapons and gear had been found in the game's files.

There were several instances of the final in-game information being different from the data mined values, usually special gauge size. This was due to Nintendo continuing to make changes to weapon sets before unlocking them.


 * The Splattershot had its special weapon changed from the Tenta Missiles to the Splashdown.
 * The Splat Roller had its sub weapon changed from Curling Bombs to Suction Bombs for the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire, then back to Curling Bombs for the final release.
 * The Gold Dynamo Roller had its sub weapon changed from Toxic Mist to Splat Bombs and its special gauge size increased from 180p to 200p.
 * The Hydra Splatling had its special weapon changed from the Ink Armor to the Splashdown and its special gauge size decreased from 190p to 180p.
 * The Inkbrush Nouveau had its special gauge size decreased from 180p to 160p.
 * The N-ZAP '89 had its special gauge size increased from 180p to 190p.
 * The Octobrush Nouveau had its special gauge size decreased from 180p to 170p.
 * The Dapple Dualies Nouveau had its special gauge size decreased from 180p to 170p.
 * The .52 Gal Deco had its special gauge size increased from 180p to 190p.
 * The .96 Gal Deco had its special gauge size increased from 180p to 190p.
 * The Custom Goo Tuber had its special gauge size decreased from 180p to 170p.
 * The Dark Tetra Dualies had its special gauge size decreased from 180p to 170p.
 * The H-3 Nozzlenose D had its sub weapon changed from Sprinklers to Suction Bombs. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Zink Mini Splatling had its special gauge size increased from 180p to 200p. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Sorella Brella had its sub weapon changed from Toxic Mist to Autobombs. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Clash Blaster Neo had its sub weapon changed from Sprinklers to Burst Bombs for the Version preview video, then to Curling Bombs for the release. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Tri-Slosher Nouveau had its special changed from the Autobomb Launcher to the Ink Storm. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Custom Range Blaster had its sub weapon changed from Burst Bombs to Curling Bombs and its special weapon changed from the Sting Ray to the Bubble Blower. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Custom Dualie Squelchers had its special weapon changed from the Ink Armor to the Sting Ray for the Version 3.0.0 preview video, then to the Ink Storm for the release and its special gauge size increased from 180p to 190p. The information from the April 24th update was correct.
 * The Rapid Blaster Pro Deco had its sub weapon changed from Curling Bombs to Splash Walls. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Carbon Roller Deco had its sub weapon changed from Sprinklers to Burst Bombs and its special weapon from the Inkjet to the Autobomb Launcher and its special gauge size increased from 170p to 190p. The information from the April 24th update was correct.
 * The Tenta Sorella Brella had its special weapon changed from the Ink Armor to the Curling-Bomb Launcher. The information from the April 24th update was correct.
 * The Custom Hydra Splatling had its special weapon changed from the Splashdown to the Ink Armor. The information from the March 15th update was correct.
 * The Light Tetra Dualies had its special weapon changed from Splat-Bomb Launcher to the Autobomb Launcher. The information from the July 12th update was correct.
 * The Custom Explosher had its sub weapon changed from Autobombs to Point Sensors.
 * The Ballpoint Splatling Nouveau had its special weapon changed from the Splashdown to the Ink Storm.
 * The Bloblobber Deco had its sub weapon changed from Fizzy Bombs to Sprinklers.
 * The Nautilus 79 had its special weapon changed from the Ink Armor to the Inkjet, its sub weapon changed from Splat Bombs to Suction Bombs, and its brand changed from Foil to Ammo Knights.

Unfinished ranked modes
An unfinished ranked mode code-named "Rocket", with a unique object (vRocket) and weapon (vRocketNozzle). Hacking a work-in-progress version into the game shows a mode where a rocket object that is launched by shooting ink at it and an ink pump weapon that can be used to continue advancing once control of the rocket is gained. The rocket may have likely been reworked into the Ultra Signal for Tricolor Turf War battles in Splatoon 3.

Another unfinished Ranked mode, code-named "Eight-Ball", can be accessed with hacks. It involves the player shooting a large ball reminiscent of the 8-ball to roll it towards the opposing team's goal.

Miscellaneous

 * A new scrapped special weapon codenamed "Bazooka." This is not the Inkzooka, which is codenamed "SuperShot."
 * The original Octoling Armor and Octoling Boots to accompany the Octoleet Goggles. Data and models for both of them exist in the game's files but were ultimately never released.
 * The Tentacles Helmet was shown in the 2018-03-08 Nintendo Direct but did not see a release.

Confirmed
This is a list of rumors or leaks that have been confirmed to be true.

Prima Strategy Guide "Coming Soon" section


The Prima Strategy Guide for Splatoon included a "Coming Soon" section which showed off upcoming weapons and stages.


 * Weapons: Carbon Roller, Custom E-liter 3K, E-liter 3K Scope, Inkbrush, L-3 Nozzlenose, N-ZAP '85, N-ZAP '89, Rapid Blaster Deco and Splash-o-matic.
 * Stages: Bluefin Depot, Kelp Dome, Camp Triggerfish, and Port Mackerel.

There are also two images of Tower Control.

Datamine DLC leak
NWPlayer123 datamined Splatoon and leaked information about upcoming weapons, stages, and modes. Also, some pictures and explanations were shown about the new Ranked modes, Tower Control and Rainmaker.

The leaker also uploaded a video of the Sploosh-o-matic, one of the leaked unreleased weapons, after using live memory edits to add it in.

The following content was revealed due to this datamine:

Weapons

 * Sploosh-o-matic
 * Neo Splash-o-matic
 * N-ZAP '89
 * Custom Dual Squelcher
 * Luna Blaster
 * Carbon Roller
 * Octobrush
 * E-liter 3K Scope

Stages

 * Moray Towers
 * Camp Triggerfish

Modes

 * Rainmaker's description and gameplay mechanics.

Version 2.0.0 datamining
After the release of Version 2.0.0 of Splatoon, NWPlayer123 and Guy Perfect once again dug into the data and found more information regarding unreleased content, including weapons, stages, gear, character models and game modes.

Sloshing Machine datamining
In a similar vein to the Version 2.0.0 datamining, NWPlayer123 posted photos and video of a new slosher variety, the Sloshing Machine, as well as other minor additions in Version 2.2.0.

Squid Sisters amiibo


A Twitter post by NWPlayer123 on 2016-01-30 showed the results of continued data mining as new amiibo coming for Splatoon, called "AmiiboIdolA" and "AmiiboIdolB" in the game's files. It was believed they could be Squid Sisters amiibo, hence the names. These files were added in the version 2.4.0 update and speculation on them, as well as some "SCLive" strings that corresponded to the amiibo entries, date as far back as 2015-12-17.

On 2016-04-30, it was announced that Squid Sisters' amiibo would be released on 2016-07-07.

Playable Octolings
Playable girl and boy Octolings that were released with the Octo Expansion. Early models of them can be found as early as the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire, where the male Octolings have a hairstyle close to the final "Punk" one, while the female model uses the enemy Octoling hair.

New Rank Battle mode
A new Ranked mode, Clam Blitz, released on December 13, 2017.

Stages
Two new Salmon Run stages codenamed "Shakehouse" and "Threepoints" respectively.
 * Shakehouse became Lost Outpost.
 * Threepoints became Salmonid Smokeyard. Now codenamed "Shakelift."

Kelp Dome, Blackbelly Skatepark and Ancho-V Games have returned from Splatoon.

Six new stages codenamed "Pillar", "Kawa" (Japanese for 'river'), "Line", "Tunnel", "Nakasu" and "Mirror" respectively.
 * Pillar became Manta Maria.
 * Kawa became Snapper Canal.
 * Line became MakoMart.
 * Tunnel became Shellendorf Institute.
 * Nakasu became New Albacore Hotel.
 * Mirror became Skipper Pavilion.

Weapons
Four new main weapons (one returning), one new sub weapon, one new special weapon and one rare weapon:
 * Explosher (codenamed "Washtub"), Ballpoint Splatling (codenamed "Downpour"), Bloblobber (codenamed "Bathtub") and Nautilus 47 (codenamed "Serein").
 * Fizzy Bomb (codenamed "Wsp_Piyo").
 * Booyah Bomb (codenamed "SuperBall").
 * Octo Shot Replica (via Octo Expansion).
 * The Grizzco Slosher.

Data mined loadouts:
 * Explosher: Sprinkler and Bubble Blower.
 * Custom Explosher: Autobomb and Baller. Changed to Point Sensor.
 * Ballpoint Splatling: Toxic Mist and Inkjet.
 * Ballpoint Splatling Nouveau: Squid Beakon and Splashdown. Changed to Ink Storm.
 * Bloblobber: Splash Wall and Ink Storm.
 * Bloblobber Deco: Fizzy Bomb and Suction-Bomb Launcher. Changed to Sprinkler.
 * Nautilus 47: Point Sensor and Baller.
 * Nautilus 79: Splat Bomb and Ink Armor. Changed to Suction Bomb and Inkjet.

15 March 2018 update
On 2018-03-15, LeanYoshi, who performed the data mining for weapon stats, updated the weapon loadouts for all previously leaked weapons :

24 April 2018 update
On 2018-04-24, LeanYoshi updated the data with a few more changes, as well as updating the database with the Version 3.0.0 changes:

12 July 2018 update
On 2018-07-12, LeanYoshi updated the data for the Light Tetra Dualies from the Version update which changed its special from Splat-Bomb Launcher to Autobomb Launcher.

WemI0 3.0.0 datamine
On 2018-04-26, Twitter user WemI0 performed a datamine of Version 3.0.0 in Splatoon 2 and found several models for gear, weapons, and more. These are the confirmed pieces of content:

Salmon Run gear

 * Octoleet Goggles, Record Shop Look EP, Dev Uniform, Worker's Head Towel, Beekeeper Hat and Worker's Cap.

amiibo and promotional gear

 * Pearl and Marina's outfits from the Octo Expansion (via their amiibo).
 * A clothing item based on the Splatoon 2 World Championship held at E3 2018.
 * Agent 8's armor from the Octo Expansion.

Announcement/Existence
The Twitter-based leaker SamusHunter posted about Splatoon 3's existence in a tweet over a month before its announcement.

Return of Flounder Heights in Splatoon 3
For a split second in the "Return of the Mammalians" trailer for Splatoon 3, an image depicting a water tank found in Flounder Heights can be seen in a black-and-white filter, around 1:10-1:11. It appears to be taken from the stage thumbnail for Splatoon. This leak has been confirmed as a preview of the revised Flounder Heights alongside the previously unnamed Um'ami Ruins was seen in the "post-launch stages" portion of the Splatoon 3 Direct, and the stage would later be added to the game alongside Brinewater Springs in Chill Season 2022.

Testfire Leaked Songs
The Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere was heavily datamined and many songs were discovered in the files. Most of the songs can be found in Soundcloud here.

Additionally, a dataminer found some Deep Cut songs from the demo, including the respective solos from the idols:


 * Shiver's Solo (Anarchy Poisons (Bird Mix)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjZNoAnP8XA
 * Frye's Solo (Anarchy Poisons (Snake Mix)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WecFe3uKbSU
 * Big Man's Solo (Anarchy Poisons (Boar Mix)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8KDzMbO2gE
 * Splatfest song 1 (Fins in the Air): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwGiikJE11E
 * Splatfest song 2 (Till Depth Do Us Part): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_MMsXRI5GU

REEF-LUX 450
A future Stringer weapon. Compared to the Tri-Stringer it is lighter, shorter-ranged, and does not have explosive fully-charged shots. It comes with the Curling Bomb and Tenta Missiles. This was found by dataminers locating Sheldon's description of the weapon in the game files. Additionally, textured and animated models of the weapon have been found in the Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere files. It was first seen in early Salmon Run Next Wave gameplay where some people got to play Splatoon 3 for a few hours.  Sheldon's description "The REEF-LUX 450 is a lighter version

of the Tri-Stringer that's a bit more

user-friendly for folks who are new

to stringer-type weapons.

Like most lightweight weapons, it

doesn't pack the biggest punch or

range—no exploding charged shots

here—but it does offer the

ability to store a charge

This set comes with Curling Bombs

to help you close the gap into enemy

turf quickly, letting you take full

advantage of the nimble nature of

your main weapon.

And when you want to make a big

impact in a hurry, don't forget about

your Tenta Missiles. You can make it

rain missiles on opponents out of

range of the REEF-LUX.

This is a highly mobile loadout that

lets you fight with flexibility and still

take down powerhouse opponents.

I hope you give it a try!"

Mr. Grizz as the Villain


There are many hints, beginning with a 2020 greeting image posted on SplatoonJP Twitter with a hidden message in the waves spelling "SAVE OUR SALMONS" leading many people within the community to theorize about Mr. Grizz potentially acting as the villain of 's story mode, Return of the Mammalians.

The next hint was found at the end of the Return of the Mammalians trailer, with his laugh being heard for a short time before the screen cuts out.

This has been confirmed true with the release of the game; additionally, leaked footage of the game verified this with Mr. Grizz being revealed as the final boss in the campaign. Referred to as The Ursine Anomaly - #03, Mr. Grizz is an enormous, strangely shaped brown grizzly bear with a teddy bear-like face, glowing white eyes, and blots of Fuzzy Ooze on his shoulders, belly, and forearms.

Grizzco Stringer
The model and data for a Grizzco brand Stringer weapon was datamined from the files. The weapon fires 9 shots in an erratic pattern and a wide spread, even if charged fully. According to a dataminer, it was revealed to be first available on 1 October 2022 16:00 UTC during a wildcard rotation.

Future gear
Some players were able to hack future gear into their games. The gear included:


 * Gold Hi-Horses (Chill Season 2022)
 * Black Trainers (Fresh Season 2023)
 * White King Tank (Fresh Season 2024)
 * Cyan Dakroniks (Fresh Season 2024)
 * Black V-Neck Tee (Fresh Season 2024)
 * Yellow-Mesh Sneakers (Fresh Season 2024)
 * Fake Contacts (Fresh Season 2023, was originally supposed to release in Chill Season 2022)

Players were able to order this gear before, but after November 10th of 2022 players would get disconnected from the server if they attempted to order them. Additionally, anyone with this gear would have them deleted from their online play data in the next update before their full release.

Busted
This is a list of rumors and leaks that have been confirmed false.

Cheat code


Some days after the game's launch, players noticed that some Sunken Scrolls, as well as signs on Inkopolis Plaza, contain what appears to be arrows pointing up, down, left or right.

On the 2015-06-09, the official Splatoon Facebook page made a joke post referencing how some Facebook users accidentally type Google search queries on their Facebook profiles. This joke, however, sparked curiosity among fans, as the "search" was for "Squid Jump cheats". Naturally, Nintendo staff themselves would not be searching for cheat codes on a game made by their company, meaning the post was placed there on purpose, likely to hint players about the existence of a code hidden inside the game.

On top of this, the official Splatoon Tumblr account made a post about how players can press on the Plaza to look around, and how this serves the additional purpose of getting information on Miiverse posts. It also mentioned that it "may also have another use", which remains unknown to this day.

As of yet, no code has been found, and it is unknown if there is any relation between the arrows, the rumored code, and the rumored extra function of, or if any secret exists, to begin with. Players have since been attempting to figure something out by input the arrow's directions during different parts of the game, mostly the Squid Jump minigame, but without luck.

However, The Art of Splatoon definitely shows that it simply is a stylized spelling of "ブイヤベース" (Booyah Base) in Inkling.

Multiple fake Super Mario Sunshine DLC leaks


Around June 2015, there was a "leak" on the internet that Super Mario Sunshine amiibo DLC was coming to Splatoon. Only a single image existed regarding this supposed leak. It has since been proven fake, with the author of the leak releasing the images they used to create it.

Later that year, in July, another Super Mario Sunshine amiibo DLC rumor with several images was found. These images supposedly depicted new Sunshine-related gear and Octo Valley missions. The supposed announcement date passed, and nothing like it was added, confirming it as false.

Flounder Heights returning
In late 2017, speculation emerged about the possible return of Flounder Heights. This speculation was based on a placeholder entry that had a misspelling of the stage's Canadian French name.

Marie's charger
There was a rumor in 2018 that Marie's Hero Charger from Octo Canyon would be added as a playable weapon.

Wasabi Splattershot
There was a Twitter post in mid-2018 that rumored that the Wasabi Splattershot would return, which included a promotional render image and its sub and special, Toxic Mist and a new unheard of special at the time. But this was confirmed false with the release of the Kensa Splattershot in Kensa Collection Volume 1 in September of that year. The unknown special became known as the Booyah Bomb.

SamusHunter leaks
The controversial Twitter leaker SamusHunter was submitted an E3 2021 - What to expect graphic, with one of the pictures being for a "2021 Splatoon 3 World Inkling Invitational". None of these events were seen in the E3 2021 Direct and outdated branding was used for the images.

Open-world Splatlands
Many people within the community have created theories that lead to Splatoon 3's single-player taking place in an open-world area. These theories take many different pieces of evidence from the trailer and the Squid Research Lab, ranging from the walking of Smallfry being too far back for the classic platformer hero mode, and to what seems to be an entire shop for bikes. Gameplay shown in the September 2021 Nintendo Direct showed platforming gameplay more reminiscent of Octo Valley and Octo Canyon with the player collecting Zapfish on linear stages.

The Reef returning in Splatoon 3
The Reef's filename was found in the Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere's files, but the reference was removed from the full game in Version 2.1.1, confirming this theory as false.

Apartments in Splatoon 3
There have been some theories from fans that apartments would be introduced in Splatoon 3. This theory was proven false as the game introduced a customizable locker room instead at launch.