Today’s trailer for the Nintendo Switch, coming in 2017, showed off some new Splatoon footage that looks a little different from the ink-painting squid game we know and love. Never-before-seen features indicate that Splatoon is due for some fun new additions or a sequel on the Switch. Nintendo has not publicly confirmed either yet.
Nintendo Switch
The Wii U’s Splatoon has sold nearly 5 million copies, marking it as a breakout for a console that didn’t sell as well as it could have. After the game killed its beloved Splatfest, an eight-player turf war, last July, the game’s future felt bleak. At that time, Nintendo told us that Splatoon’s “general online experience and service will continue,” though new content would cease.
Nintendo Switch
Today, the Nintendo Switch’s debut trailer featured Splatoon prominently as a local multiplayer esports game. While Splatoon’s current incarnation offers a local multiplayer mode, it’s limited to 1-vs.-1 play, which has underwhelmed critics. Expectations for a solid local multiplayer experience are high for Nintendo titles, especially since the company cut its teeth on knockouts like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Party.
Today, the Switch’s trailer teased a local Splatoon tournament. In it, an esports team strategizes their Splatoon formation before an enormous match:
Nintendo Switch
Earlier this year, Nintendo announced their first Splatoon esports tournament, for which the prize is a Nintendo Switch. The Electronic Sports League’s Go4Splatoon weekly tournament is online. So, it’s exciting that the Nintendo Switch’s trailer indicates that the newest version of Splatoon — either an update or a new game — could offer the local multiplayer mode so desired by current fans. It’s worth noting that, in the trailer, competitors are using separate systems. They could still be competing online, but just in the same room.
Also exciting is the Switch Splatoon’s new hairstyles and pants. It looks like the update will allow Inkling customisation beyond tops, shoes and weapons. A new map appears in the short clip as well.
Nintendo Switch
If Nintendo’s planning on leaning into esports with Splatoon, the Switch trailer sure is promising on that front. Since Splatoon is played by physically moving the Wii U controller up and down, how Nintendo maps the game to the Switch’s new pro controllers will be interesting to see. If nothing else, I’m excited to get that sweet beehive hair.
Comments
14 responses to “Nintendo Shows Off New Splatoon Footage, Unclear If It’s A New Game”
I dream of the day when Splatoon is a stadium-filling eSport to rival DOTA 2 and LoL.
It already does, except it’s not esports, it’s because of the Vocaloid phenomenon they’re cottoned on to with the Squid Sisters performing on stage live.
Stop making me spend money Nintendo. D= The only thing that ruined splatoon for me, was that I didn’t have enough people to play competitive properly. That’s why I play overwatch now, at least I have people to play with. =/
Can’t you just turn that off and use the other analogue stick though? I still haven’t got around to buying Splatoon but I thought you disable the motion controls already..
Yup, came down to post this exact thing. It will work exactly the same as it works on the WiiU version when you turn off motion control. Great journalism, you’d think a games journalist on a multi format site that had extensive coverage of Splatoon would know that.
I remember occasionally playing House of the Dead 2 on Dreamcast with a gamepad. Although it was a viable control scheme, it was far removed from the optimal experience, and as a result the game felt diminished.
So while Splatoon offers two control schemes, using the right analogue for gross aiming and gyro for fine aiming seems to be the fan favourite and is effectively synonymous with the game. Releasing an update/sequel that removes this element is a legitimate concern to muse about.
There was no need to be rude.
nice strawman… Comparing a light gun game to a third person shooter….
I know of plenty of people who played Splatoon without motion controls. Do a Google search and you’ll see enough evidence of people who preferred the joystick controls. But it’s a moot point anyway as that clearly wasn’t the point of the author if you look at the wording.
Pointing out that you would expect someone writing for a gaming website to know that non-motion controls existed and where entirely playable in the original isn’t rude, its just having a reasonable expectation of standards. If the author hadn’t actually plays Splatoon, no need to comment on the controls at all.
yes you can turn it off and it certainly makes play better with it off. You should pick this game up, by far one of the best games for a long time. glad i got it the day it was released the splatfests were a great way to boost the attributes.
@sabrescene You can, but you wouldn’t.
I honestly don’t know that I’d be interested in Splatoon any more if there were no more tilt controls.
There is no reason to think that the switch can’t have tilt controls really, the chip costs cents.
Yeah, hopefully. But it’s as unknown as the touch screen, which hasn’t been demonstrated yet either.
Don’t like the idea of it being capacitive either :p
That looks like a new game to me, New level which i thought they said they were no longer doing, and one of the characters has different hair styles to what you can get now
A whole heap of them have different hairstyles. Plus it looks like you can also customise the pants now too.
I believe the trailer is inferring that the Pro Controllers will have gyroscopic sensors as well.