Last night, at the end ofNintendo’s first Direct in around 18 months,Splatoon 3was announced. The game is a follow up to the fun, fast-paced shootersSplatoonandSplatoon 2and is set to hit the Nintendo Switch at some point in 2022. While Nintendo shared no further details than that, here are ourSplatoon 3Predicted Release Date theories.
What is Splatoon?
TheSplatoongames are bright, colourful, kid-friendly third-person shooters, with tonnes of competitive action. The titles see two teams compete to cover as much of the map with their colour paint as possible, taking out the opposition to gain an advantage.
Despite the slightly more child-focused aesthetic, theSplatoongames are super competitive. The online matches within the game can get pretty intense andNintendothemselves even holdSplatoonWorld Championship Tournaments.
What do we know about Splatoon 3 so far?
Having only been announced yesterday, February 18, details onSplatoon 3are fairly limited.
What we did see, was that typical Nintendo charm displayed throughout the reveal trailer - with a Squid Kid living hisMad Maxlife. Nintendo confirmed that the game takes place “in the wake of chaos” and players will duke it out in the “sun scorched Splatlands and the new city, Splatsville”.
While it’s to be expected, Nintendo also stated that “New weapons, moves, and more await”.
What is our Splatoon 3 predicted release date?
So, we know the release date is at some point next year, but when exactly could that be?
The originalSplatoonlaunched worldwide at the end of May 2015 andSplatoon 2released on June 06, 2025. That leads me to believe thatSplatoon 3will drop between May and July. The series has proven that it can be successful in that release window and they’re great summer games, so why break that formula?
While the games are ultra-popular and have a huge following, they don’t yet have the pulling power of some of Nintendo’s big hitters, like Mario and Zelda. That means that, as long as development proceeds trouble-free, Nintendo would likely keep the games away from the Holiday period, instead opting for one of the bigger franchises to help shift a few more consoles.
The game could conceivably come earlier than May, depending on what Nintendo’s other releases look like around there, however, why try and fix something that isn’t broken?
