Splatoon 3

Splatoon 3 is the upcoming third entry in the Splatoon series. It is currently scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch in the Summer of 2022.

Development
In an interview with the weekly Famitsu magazine from around July 2019, Splatoon series producer Hisashi Nogami said that after completing Splatoon 2, the team focused on the Octo Expansion and updates and would not think about the future until completing version of the game. This means that Splatoon 3 development had not started as of July 2019 and presumably started after the release of Version 5.0.0 on 2019-07-31. This is quite different compared to the timing of the development of Splatoon 2, which started immediately after Splatoon was released.

On 2021-02-17, Splatoon 3 was announced in a Nintendo Direct.

Splatoon 3 will be the first game in the series to be localized into Korean and Chinese.

On 2021-09-24, more information was revealed about Splatoon 3 in a Nintendo Direct, including new special weapons, stages, and music, as well as the reveal of the single-player mode Return of the Mammalians.

On 2022-01-01, the Japanese Splatoon Twitter account posted a tweet for the arrival of 2022. The post includes a video with an Inkling performing a victory pose along with a jingle while 2022 is written in ink. This reveals the return of the Brush weapon class, marking the final previous class revealed to be returning.

On 2022-01-27, Volume 16 of the Splatoon manga was released with a teaser of Agent 3 arriving to Splatsville.

On 2022-02-09, Salmon Run: Next Wave was revealed to be a mode in Splatoon 3, along with new Boss Salmonids. The game will be released summer 2022.

Story


The game takes place in the Splatlands, a sun-scorched desert inhabited by battle-hardened Inklings and Octolings, and Splatsville, a city of chaos, one and a half years after the final Splatfest, Chaos vs. Order. The outcome of the Splatfest is likely the reason the game's design is themed around chaos.

The Splatoon 3 single-player story mode is called "Return of the Mammalians", and it is implied that mammals besides Judd and Li'l Judd will appear. This includes some kind of mutated Octotrooper with brown fur. However, other Octarians do make an appearance, such as Octopods and DJ Octavio. The story takes place in a new location called Alterna, a large, snowy area littered with Fuzzy Ooze. It also contains a rocket ship and portable research lab (where Callie, Marie, Craig Cuttlefish, and the Captain appear), a dark, mirrored city, and a neon-lit area with traditional Japanese items floating around in the background. The player's character is an Inkling recruited by the New Squidbeak Splatoon (specifically the Squid Sisters and the Captain) as the new Agent 3; the former Agent 3 from the previous games is now the captain of the group following Cuttlefish's retirement.

Gameplay


Like its predecessors, Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter game focused on online multiplayer battles, in which eight players are divided into two teams of four. Players have two main forms and may switch between the two at will: their humanoid form, in which they can use weapons to spread ink and splat opponents, and their squid or octopus form, which, if they enter their team's ink while in the form, allows them to swim through ink at great speed, including up walls, recharge their ink tank faster, and hide.

Players will have access to new movement techniques to dodge attacks and expand the possibilities of attacks. A "squid roll" allows them to leap and twirl out of their ink and a "squid surge" allows them to quickly swim up ink-covered walls and jump out at the top.

In the Splatlands, players in online battles enter the battlefield with a spawner drone. It floats above the stage behind each base and allows players to aim at their desired deployment location within a certain reach. After choosing where to deploy, the spawner drone launches players to that location in squid or octopus form in a similar fashion to a Super Jump. The regular spawn points are still present on at least Scorch Gorge but are not confirmed to be usable.

In story mode, a Smallfry, nicknamed "little buddy", accompanies the player. It can be thrown to attack Octarians, interact with contraptions to solve various puzzles, and remove hazardous Fuzzy Ooze.

Characters
At this time, the following characters are known:


 * Agent 3 (new)
 * The player's "little buddy", a Smallfry
 * New Squidbeak Splatoon
 * Squid Sisters
 * Callie, also known as Agent 1
 * Marie, also known as Agent 2
 * Captain, the former Agent 3 from Splatoon as the new leader of the platoon
 * Craig Cuttlefish
 * DJ Octavio
 * Octarians
 * Judd and Li'l Judd
 * Inklings
 * Octolings
 * Salmonids

Player customization
The genders of the Inklings and Octolings are no longer explicitly stated. Instead, the player "selects a style". Additionally, Octolings can now be selected from the start rather than having to be unlocked first. The female Inkling model has sometimes been seen to have a cut in the left eyebrow, though this has also been shown to be absent on other occasions, so it may be optional.

New player customization options have been added:


 * Two new skin tones in addition to the seven returning, for a total of nine.
 * Seven new eye colors, including six heterochromatic eyes that form a gradient from one color to another, in addition to the 14 returning colors, for a total of 21.
 * New hairstyles and legwear.
 * Hairstyles and legwear are no longer split between genders, meaning either gender can access any hairstyle or legwear option, though hairstyles are still split between species.
 * At least four new Inkling hairstyles and four new Octoling hairstyles will be available. In keeping with the "chaos" theme, many of the new hairstyles are asymmetrical. The "Hippie", "Topknot", "Haircut", "Double-Bun", "Wave", "Hipster", "Pigtail", "Banger", "Tentacurl", "Punk", "Pony", and "Afro" hairstyles are also shown to return, for a total of 20 confirmed hairstyles.
 * One new legwear option has been added in addition to the eight returning, for a total of nine.
 * The player now has a "little buddy", a Smallfry that plays a role in the single-player mode. Its hairstyle can be customized, with a total of seven different options.

There is also new gear, as well as gear returning from previous games:
 * Returning headgear includes the Annaki Beret & Glasses, Annaki Mask, Fugu Bell Hat, Full Moon Glasses, Golf Visor, Knitted Hat, Safari Hat, Short Beanie, Sneaky Beanie, Studio Headphones, SV925 Circle Shades, Swim Goggles, Fake Contacts, Blowfish Bell Hat and White Arrowbands.
 * Returning clothes include the Annaki Yellow Cuff, B-ball Jersey (Home), Camo Layered LS, Camo Zip Hoodie, King Jersey, N-Pacer Sweat, Purple Camo LS, Red Hula Punk with Tie, Rockenberg White, Shirt & Tie, Zekko Long Carrot Tee, Herbivore Tee,Sunny-Day Tee and Negative Longcuff Sweater.
 * Returning shoes include the Amber Sea Slug Hi-Tops, Blue Power Stripes, Choco Clogs, Punk Cherries, Red FishFry Sandals, Snowy Down Boots, Tea-Green Hunting Boots, and Turquoise Kicks.

Locations
At this time, these locations are known:


 * Splatlands
 * Alterna
 * Splatsville
 * Ammo Knights
 * Battle Lobby Tower
 * The Shoal
 * Scorch Gorge
 * Eeltail Alley
 * Inkopolis
 * Museum d'Alfonsino

Modes


So far, Turf War and Salmon Run are the only competitive multiplayer modes that has been confirmed.

Turf War

So far there have been no changes to the rules of Turf War in Splatoon 3.

Salmon Run: Next Wave

In the February 9th Nintendo Direct, Salmon Run has been confirmed for Splatoon 3. There are new bosses, presumably new stages, and more.

Stages

 * Scorch Gorge - A new stage with a visual aesthetic very similar to Saltspray Rig or Salmon Run stages, but located in a desert wasteland instead of at sea.
 * Eeltail Alley - A new stage set in an alley in the middle of Splatsville. Various bridges placed around the stage give it a separate upper and lower layer.
 * Museum d'Alfonsino - A returning stage from, still located in Inkopolis. The shape of the large rotating platforms in the center of the stage appears to have been altered.
 * A job listing for a level designer by Nintendo announced at the same time as the game's reveal includes "既存ステージの改修" (renovation of existing stages). This could either mean that stages from the previous games will be returning, or that the role's responsibilities will include fixing bugs and balance issues in stages after the game's release. It is assumed to be the former due to Museum d'Alfonsino being confirmed to return in Splatoon 3.

Main weapons

 * A bow and arrow-style weapon was added. Once charged, it fires three strings of ink simultaneously. Its design seems to be based on a fishing rod, using the reel and string. The weapon also appears to have two stages of charge, as seen in the Nintendo Switch OLED trailer.
 * Several weapons already present in the previous games seem to have gone through a re-design, including an E-liter Scope, Range Blaster, Splattershot, Hydra Splatling, Gold Dynamo Roller, Blaster, Sloshing Machine, and .96 Gal, as shown in the first Direct, Splash-o-matic, Glooga Dualies, Undercover Brella, Splat Roller, Clash Blaster, and Splat Charger in the second Direct, an Inkbrush in a post on Twitter, and the Classic Squiffer in official artwork for Salmon Run: Next Wave. It is currently unknown if they will keep their attributes from the previous games or what some of their kits will be.
 * Some hidden weapons in Splatsville's Ammo Knights store, although they aren't confirmed yet.

Sub weapons

 * The Splat Bombs, Curling Bombs, and Burst Bombs all make appearances in the second Direct. It is currently unknown if they will retain the same attributes from the previous games.

Special weapons



 * A special weapon similar to the Inkzooka called the Trizooka appears that fires three blobs of ink together.
 * The weapon is shown to eject white capsule-shaped shells when firing. Three capsule slots are seen, so it may be assumed this weapon can only fire three times.
 * A player using the bow and arrow weapon is seen firing a shot and then activating the Trizooka, meaning it is part of the unnamed-bow’s set. It was also seen reverting into a Splattershot, so it is likely a part of a Splattershot's weapon set.
 * A new miniature floating beam special weapon called the Killer Wail 5.1 was added. It consists of six separate Sting Ray-like lasers that pierce any stage obstacles, and seem to follow enemy players in pairs. The design of the contraptions these lasers originate from appears similar to miniature Killer Wails with the bottoms of Suction Bombs attached to them. Pictures of the special weapon have revealed that it is part of both the Sloshing Machine and Range Blaster’s set.
 * A crab-shaped robot that can transform into a ball called the Crab Tank has also been seen. It made a reappearance in the Direct where it demonstrated firing both bullets and a more powerful charged shot. The character seen holding a Clash Blaster is also the player using the Crab Tank, and it was being used next to where the Clash Blaster was last seen in the trailer. This implies the Crab Tank is part of the Clash Blaster’s set.
 * A deployable shield dome called the Big Bubbler was added. It is part of the Splat Roller’s set.
 * A grappling hook-like special weapon called the Zipcaster was added. It appears to be part of the Splash-o-Matic’s set.
 * An Inkjet landing spot can be seen in one of the trailers, though the landing icon looks slightly different than the one in Splatoon 2. It is confirmed to be for the Zipcaster.
 * The Tenta Missile-like projectiles can also be seen in one of the pictures and the Nintendo Switch OLED trailer. An image posted by Nintendo shows it could be part of the new E-Liter Scope’s set.

Music
The trailer contains a new remix of Splattack!, different from both the original version and the Octo Expansion remix. It is currently unknown if this remix will be included in the game, or if it was created only for the trailer. This remix seems to suggest the game's music will follow a more rock-esque style, especially considering the overall theme of the game seemingly being based on Chaos winning Chaos vs. Order.

A new band called C-Side have a song named Clickbait, which was first previewed in the 2021-09-23 Nintendo Direct.

A jingle that sounds like a sampling of a potential new version of Now or Never! was heard in an official tweet released on 2022-01-01.

Trivia



 * In the Splatoon 3 announcement trailer, it can be seen during the Turf War match that the player using the bow and arrow starts on the yellow team and switches to the purple team mid-match.
 * The ink color set shown in the announcement trailer is similar to the Color Lock set in, as well as one of the Ranked Battle color sets in.
 * The Inkopolis Memorial Mixtape ends with the same drum loop used in the loading screen followed by the opening of the original version of Splattack!, similar to the music of the Splatoon 3 announcement trailer.
 * In the Splatoon 3 announcement trailer, it can be seen that, while Inklings and Octolings are being shown individually, the Octoling who appears to be using a modified Hydra Splatling has the symmetrical teeth of an Inkling, unlike the asymmetrical teeth Octolings usually have.