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Nintendo Shocks Fans with Surprise Splatoon Reveal: What We Know About Splatoon Raiders

Trent Murray

Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch 2 was a rousing success on launch with one of the few criticisms levied against it being the lack of games available upon release. While many established games got graphical updates for the system, players have had little new content to enjoy aside from Mario Kart World.

Today, Nintendo surprised fans with the sudden announcement that not only would its competitive squid kid shooter series Splatoon get a major update, but a new spin-off is coming. Here's what we know about Splatoon Raiders.

What is Splatoon Raiders?

Gamers who checked out the Nintendo Today! app this morning were greeted with a surprise 5 minute trailer for a brand new Splatoon title. Splatoon Raiders trailer gives off a bit of a Super Mario Sunshine vibe in that some of the characters from the Splatoon world are seen traveling to an island destination with an emphasis on more open world exploration.

Based on the trailer, the game looks like it will be more story-focused than the competitive third-person shooter it's spun off from. Very little detail was given in the trailer itself. On Twitter, the official Splatoon account described the game as focusing on "a mechanic adventuring with Deep Cut to the mysterious Spirhalite Islands. We'll keep you updated as we conduct further research into this ongoing development." Given how the account is playing into the exploration themes, an adventure-style game seems to fit.

Are We Getting Splatoon 4?

Splatoon Raiders does not appear to be Splatoon 4. The trailer specifically describes it as a spin-off.

Nintendo also appears to be continuing to support Splatoon 3 for the time being. Along with the Raiders reveal, the trailer showcased a number of new weapons and other quality of life updates coming to Splatoon 3 in a massive Version 10.0.0 update. The update will release on Thursday June 12. The twitter accounts also confirm that this update will proved "adjustments for the Nintendo Switch 2 system, so get ready for smoother and more detailed visuals."

For now, if you're looking for a competitive Nintendo experience that isn't Mario Kart, it appears Splatoon 3 is still the go-to option for the forseeable future.

Related Article: Best Nintendo Switch 2 Cases - Top 5 Switch 2 Peripherals Ranked

Esports Impact

Splatoon is one of the very few games Nintendo has ever actively supported as an esport, hosting a few international competitions for the series (of course with the classic Nintendo lack of prize money). The series maintains a small, dedicated esports community to this day and has even had LAN tournaments at major Super Smash Bros. events like Genesis.

While a Switch 2 update and some new weapons and maps could breathe new life into the shooter, the announcement of Splatoon Raiders may ultimately hurt the competitive scene more than help it. If the next update to the series is a story-driven adventure game that currently has no release date, any possible Splatoon 4 is likely years away. The lack of a new entry to look forward to can stall momentum for a game especially in the extremely crowded competitive shooter market. Only time will tell if the Splatoon community can leverage the improved visuals and functionality of the Switch 2 to build, or at least maintain, its player base for a few more years.

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Trent Murray
TRENT MURRAY

Trent has covered esports since the birth of the LCS. He also led content strategy and served as Senior Writer for The Esports Observer and Sports Business Journal, and worked on the development team for Rushdown Revolt.

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