Should Splatoon 3 End After Sizzle Season?

[ThestralZ]

So obviously with the announcement of a Switch 2 by March of ’25 and the new bow having its second kit come out in tandem with the base kit, it seems pretty likely that this is in fact the end of Splatoon 3. Splatoon 3 was my first game and I have mixed feelings about it ending. On the one hand this game has had a much more consistent balance compared to the insane highs and lows of 2 and its continued to grow the competitive scene as shown by events like this year’s worlds and LTC. On the other hand though the game is kind of reaching a stagnant point. Without confirmed 3rd kits and the underwhelming dlc Splatoon has mostly faded from general Nintendo YouTube. The meta hasn’t really changed much for a few months (which is both good and bad). Splatoon 3 really only has had 3 big metas each of which were based on a specific special weapon and a specific weapon with that special, that being Crab/Splash meta, Inkjet/Ballpoint meta, and Cooler/Pencil meta (and Zooka/Shot meta, it just doesn’t fit as well compared to the others).
My hope is that the June direct announces one of three things:
1. Full on content extension. Gives us around 8 3rd kits, confirms Reef, Ark Polaris returns to SRNW, etc.
2. Final Fest theme announcement. This will confirm that the game is over but still build hype for the game.
3. Splatoon 4 teaser. With a new (hopefully more powerful) console on the horizon, they might try to covertly kill Splatoon 3 by announcing Splatoon 4. This is the least likely option though.
All in all as long as we don’t have a content drought longer than half a year I don’t think we should panic about Splatoon dying. All I hope is that Nintendo gets their ****e together and makes an actually good live service 3rd person shooter.

 

[reelrollsweat]

3. Splatoon 4 teaser. With a new (hopefully more powerful) console on the horizon, they might try to covertly kill Splatoon 3 by announcing Splatoon 4.

its honestly kind of insane to me how much ppl are discussing splatoon 4. are yall really so unhappy with this game that you immediately want to desert it for a 4th one as soon as content updates are over

1. i highly doubt that switch 2 announcement means theyre going to have splatoon 4 as a launch title, the turnaround is way too soon considering it took them 5 years to put out splatoon 3. you could argue that it took them less than 2 years after s1 to announce s2 but wii u was a flop console and they were clearly trying to move everything over to switch asap. afaik switch 2 feels much more like a DS -> 3DS upgrade rather than a wii u -> switch entirely new console so i think a splatoon 3 deluxe port or smth is much more realistic

2. if they really announce splatoon 4 sometime in the next year lets be honest itll be on such a rushed timeframe that it wont even "fix" any of the major issues ppl have with s3. i dont get why yall are hyping up splatoon 4 as this hypothetical bandaid to all of the s3 issues. s3 itself changed a lot of things that ppl were unhappy abt with s2 but has new issues of its own and i dont see why that exact thing wouldnt happen with s4 too

3. imo splatoon 3 feels like a sort of end to a trilogy. theyre combining all of the aspects of s1/s2/s3 together in one game and iirc the alterna story mode is also a "finale" of the squidbeak splatoon lore. if they do splatoon 4 i expect it to be at least 5 years down the line and have some kinda major fundamental difference from the first 3 splatoons

 

[missingno]

People seem to be assuming a content extension has to happen simply because S1 and 2 got them, but that means nothing. The circumstances were very different for those games. And if we just assume every game is always gonna get a content extension by default, then why even announce two years in the first place?

Splatoon 1 got extended from six months to a year because it sold way beyond what was expected for a dying console.
Splatoon 2 got extended from one year to two because the Switch's runaway success again allowed to it to exceed expectations.
But by game 3, Nintendo has a better idea of what to expect, there weren't any surprises here. They planned for two years from the start, and that's already a lot. It's the same as what S2 got.

With the announcement that the two new weapons are getting both of their kits at the same time, that's the final nail in the coffin for any dreams of an extension. This is the final season, if it wasn't then they would be saving those kits for later.

As for Splatoon 4, I expect that will come after Animal Crossing. Remember it's the same dev team working on both franchises, it makes the most sense for them to alternate rather than release two Splatoons back to back. And AC should be the higher priority to sell Switch 2s early in its lifespan, really.

 

[Masked_Katz]

I'm confused on why people think this is the end, like I may be missing something... Nintendo promised 2 years of content updates, which lasts until this September and potentially leaves room for one more season or some other update, right? I'd be fine with this being the final season, but are people now choosing to overlook this just because the new weapons are getting both of their kits?

 

[missingno]

Two years is eight seasons. This is season eight.

BIG Big Run is also pretty obviously a finale, and the teaser at the end is very likely hinting at Final Fest. The Jelly has a Splatfest branded Uchiwa, and a bag with Squid Sisters, Off the Hook, and Deep Cut stickers.

 

[Suchi]

Also keep in mind end of dev support is going to add a lot of customization options into private battles, and if splatoon 2 is anything to go by, the end of the seasons doesn't mean the end of balance patches.

 

[Suchi]

I'm confused on why people think this is the end, like I may be missing something... Nintendo promised 2 years of content updates, which lasts until this September and potentially leaves room for one more season or some other update, right? I'd be fine with this being the final season, but are people now choosing to overlook this just because the new weapons are getting both of their kits?

Nintendo isn't always the most transparent with communication so a lot is left up to the imagination. And because websites like twitter thrive off of negativity, it creates a lot of doomposting and pessimism.

 

[Cephalobro]

I wouldn't be surprised that the updates from here on out will just be minor stuff, with the only major stuff being things that ease the grind or some miniscule thing.

Also, can we just let Splatoon 3 stand on its own without being impatient for a Splatoon 4? I prefer that the devs actually take their time with Splatoon 4 so that the game isn't full of bugs and issues from the beginning. Again, it's inevitable that a bug or two will slip through the cracks that will need to be fixed via an update, but that is leagues better than a game releasing with so many bugs and issues.

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

I'm confused on why people think this is the end, like I may be missing something... Nintendo promised 2 years of content updates, which lasts until this September and potentially leaves room for one more season or some other update, right? I'd be fine with this being the final season, but are people now choosing to overlook this just because the new weapons are getting both of their kits?

I can't find the video, but iirc it showed 8 seasons scrolling across the screen. not 9

 

[Cephalobro]

Also, need I remind everyone that the same team that makes Splatoon also makes Animal Crossing games? Not only that, but the same team also had a hand with Pikmin 4, so it's not out of the question that Splatoon might not be a priority to them once the Switch 2 releases because they will most likely be busy developing a game other than Splatoon.

 

[RubberCF]

Do people really need regular content updates to enjoy the game.

 

[isaac4]

Do people really need regular content updates to enjoy the game.

With the huge amount of mediocre kits, few options for anyone who wants to play a weapon with a certain sub or special, most of the maps being extremely linear, balance patches happening every few months but rarely buffing weaker options in a significant way, and the fact that Splatoon 1 and 2 both got 3rd kits, it makes sense that a lot of players don't want regular content updates to stop.

 

[missingno]

While I still dream of The Reef and Snapper Canal, I'm not really concerned with quantity of content and I don't need infinite updates. I'm a FGC boomer. I'm used to playing games long after they're done.

But I am just disappointed in the lack of third kits. The way that S3 has handled its kits has been a massive headache, and it would substantially improve the game if every weapon had one more chance at offering something people want to play it with.

Aside from that one problem though, we did get plenty of content.

 

[DzNutsKong]

Maybe people weren't expecting to see this opinion here, but...yeah, now's a better time than ever to slow down with updates. There's always going to be a thing or two people will wish was better about any given game but for what it's worth I think what we have now is mostly good. They've made a lot of content for this game and I think it gets a bit overshadowed by how it's been spread out for longer than most people would prefer. Like, take a step back and look at the bigger picture with all the stuff this game has introduced or refined greatly from the rest of the series.

Look at the way the meta is right now too. Not absolutely flawless, but in my opinion it's in a fantastic spot for a stopping point. No matter what, if this series as a whole plans on progressing forward, changes to Splatoon 3 specifically absolutely need to stop somewhere. What we have right now is an extremely diverse meta where there has consistently been a lot of weapon diversity even at top level. Most weapon classes have at least one, sometimes multiple options for you to choose from for weapons that are viable even at top level. It has been like this for a long time now. Compare this to so many of the past endgame metas where everything is super limited because of the gap between top tier weapons and high tier ones.

And this isn't to say that if it were given time to bake, the current Splatoon 3 patch wouldn't eventually end up like that. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I don't think there's much better that the dev team can really do to prepare for the inevitable here though. I might not even be the right person to speak on this since I wasn't around for endgame Splatoon 1 or 2 but I can't imagine either of those games being in a similar position closer to their final patches as this game is now. But what else can you really do to the game at this point other than buff low tiers in hopes that they don't completely uproot the meta like Snipewriter did? That's not all you'd need to worry about because the buff would need to make the weapon compete on some level without the current high tier option, and also it would need to not push the current high tier option out of the meta or else it would ultimately be kind of a pointless change.

I just spent a lot of time talking about meta stuff despite the fact that the bottom line of this post should be content. Simply put I don't have nearly as much to say that I haven't already. It's disappointing that we may not get third kits obviously and we should get Splatfest / maybe Challenge stuff added to PBs too, maaaybe flesh out the two new weapon classes a bit more by giving them each one more main weapon (I am VERY biased no shame), but there's really nothing else. Zooka kinda sucks to fight against sometimes because of the startup but messing with that might make Snipewriter even stronger because that's its biggest counterplay, so I'm honestly hesitant to even say that should change.

So give the devs some time to rest for when they'll inevitably have to work on the next game. Their time would probably be better spent there at this point.

Except you can ignore everything in this post if they don't give me THREE more Swords and give at least TWO of those INKJET because Inkjet is COOL

 

[Cephalobro]

It's a bit strange to me that they might be stopping updates before releasing two more Amiibos for the game, as both Splatoon 1 and 2 had a total of 8 Amiibos released each.

 

[Masked_Katz]

Two years is eight seasons. This is season eight.

I can't find the video, but iirc it showed 8 seasons scrolling across the screen. not 9

I see, that makes more sense - the next three months are a part of this season, so I understand the concern now.

To elaborate on my opinion for the sake of the original topic, I would be cool with this season being the last, I think. I agree that we could use more varied maps, music, etc but I have come to terms with the fact this game always had its own vision of more streamlined content. However, if I am disappointed with anything, it's the lack of variety in kits (things like the lack of 3rd kits and the game having ~20 different specials contribute to this.)

I suppose I could say Splatoon 3 isn't my favorite Splatoon game, but by now it's my most played and favorite game in general. I'm looking forward to the final phase of this game so the pessimism can slow down, but I also don't care about Splatoon 4 at all until we get anything revealed about it, I just want everyone to relax and enjoy what we got while we still have it. Nonetheless, we all still have a lot to learn about the future of the game, so here's to hoping it's smooth sailing until then.

 

[rosylina]

While there's personally stuff I would like to still come back, and more updates means they could fix some things, it doesn't seem like they want to continue on this game much longer. Even so, a content extension would just mean they keep doing seasons, and I'm just so over those at this point, so the game being done with major updates would calm my nerves.

Splatoon 3 has the most hours I put into any game in the series. I enjoy it a lot despite all its flaws. I won't deny, though, that there's a part of me that feels like we got content over the span of two years rather than getting two years worth of stuff, despite how much they did when I look at it. I don't know if anyone else feels this way or if what I said even makes sense, but that's just a thought that's been lingering in my head ever since I saw this discussion.

In terms of a potential Splatoon 4, I honestly wouldn't care at all about it if it came out soon after the new console's launch, and most likely wouldn't pick it up. Outside of the team having higher priority projects like others have said, I really want them to take their sweet time with Splatoon 4 so that it can really wow me, whatever it ends up being in the end.

 

[missingno]

I won't deny, though, that there's a part of me that feels like we got content over the span of two years rather than getting two years worth of stuff, despite how much they did when I look at it.

This is exactly how I feel about the way this game handled kits. It did not need to take two years for only second kits.

 

[Mili]

I think they really could use third kits, like, I really think they could do it, because having Splatoon 4 so soon after Splatoon 3 ended is a bit worrisome I think, granted, I think over the course of Splatoon 3, the new team really started to improve in some of their decisions like map design, and seeing kits this season might be a positive sign for the future, even if we still get stinkers in that department.

Splatoon 3 it's the first time I spent so many hours in a Splatoon game, and I really think the core things it has is so good, I really don't want to see it abandoned so soon, I do think it's very unlikely to have a new season sized update, but like I said at the start, third kits, and maybe game balance is something I really want to see.
Also they probably want to add stuff like recon splatfest and salmon run stages or something, they might not do it, but I think it's a very good quality of life improvement it could receive after the end.

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

this is probably hard copium but since everything is lining up for this to be the last season, what if they continue adding stuff but whenever they feel like it, without the structure of a season? I think this is the best thing they could do, even better than more seasons tbh