Today's Nintendo Direct was early in the morning, but jam-packed with information on Splatoon 2, which launches on the Switch July 21st.

We've got a quick recap for you on all the news you might have missed. While some information and modes covered may not be entirely new, there's certainly a lot in here that's certified fresh!

The Splatoon U.S. Inkling Open was announced on March 30th in a Tweet from Nintendo of America, with a grand prize of a trip to E3 for the winners.

Nintendo Treehouse shared some info regarding Splatoon 2 multiplayer today in preparation for the 2017 Splatoon Invitational! Good news squids, all your favourite modes are back!

Turf War, Splat Zones, Tower Control and Rainmaker are all returning, with the ranked game modes getting small quality of life changes to make them even better.

Former members of NSTC, Chimera, and Koopa Clan have formed Team Olive, a new squad with a small but impressive tournament history thus far, taking first place in NNCL Cosmic II and fourth in NNCL Cosmic IV. Today we'll be talking with Sendou to see why and how this team started, and what the futures are for Chimera.

Today's Nintendo Direct was chock full of gaming news -- including new footage from Splatoon 2! You'll see some new spots and shots, but also a brand-new game mode for up to 4 squids!

A new North American Nintendo Direct arriving on 4.12.2017 is planned to cover "information on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS in a new Nintendo Direct presentation focused mainly on ARMS and Splatoon 2", according to the Nintendo Direct website.

Our newly refurbished staff are excited to bring you all some riveting events and tourneys in the upcoming months leading up and continuing through Splatoon 2 launch. Although they're already in the planning stages for a couple events, we want your feedback in terms of events you would want to see from Squidboards. I've added a number of options here, and while we have a vague idea of what people enjoy, we don't want any assumptions. We are also completely welcome to new ideas as well! So, if you would take the time, please leave an answer in the polling and discuss your answers in the...

Early this morning, the Japanese Splatoon Twitter (@SplatoonJP) unveiled the new gear mechanics for Splatoon 2. Reinventing the gear abilities system in Splatoon 2 so that players don't have to rely on random chance to get their desired abilities is at the top of many squids' wish lists for changes in Splatoon 2. It seems that the Splatoon Dev Team has once again delivered a change that will make everyone happy.

Strange Approach's Rocket (@PG_Rocketek on Twitter) posted a video earlier today summing...

"From the people that brought you the Bleck n Spoon Tournament (BnS), it is time for a new organization designed for the highest quality in Splatoon 2 coverage! We would like to introduce InkTV, the central hub for all your essential content in Splatoon 2, from a tournament that comes as the next form of BnS to a new interview series where we will go one on one with some of the stars and notable members of the community. But perhaps one of our biggest items will be our podcast, called Ink Radio, where we will discuss pertinent topics in the game, the meta, the community, or whatever else has to revolve around the game we all know and love!"