Thoughts on the possibility of a content extension?

[mossyquartz]

We've been getting conflicting hints from Nintendo. They never outright stated that next season would be the last on the announcement, and they extended content for the two previous games, but they're also adding two kits for the new weapons, and they're teasing the final big run and final fest.

Do you think there will be an extension?

Personally I have no clue. They could be clearing out the second kits to make space for third kits. And let's not forget that there's a direct in June where they could announce and extension

 

[Masked_Katz]

I was actually writing up a thread to ask this myself...

I'm very conflicted. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but in the latter half of the Switch's lifetime I began to notice its titles have turned out half-baked? From what I played, Mario Maker 2 really disappointed me because it lost all its charm compared to the first, New Horizons lacks a lot of what made New Leaf great off the bat, and now Splatoon 3 just took two years to get 2nd kits with a lot more still missing.

I still think that this is the last season and I'm cool with that, but my gut is REALLY telling me to believe there will be more content coming because it's almost obvious. But, the only reason why I also believe the opposite is because of the decline in game quality I've noticed lately, where Nintendo seemingly doesn't care to uphold the quality of previous games in their series.

I don't agree with the idea of "Nintendo only promised 2 years of content, they are going to leave the game to die right after time expires" because I don't recall Nintendo ever doing that with the previous Splatoons or games before then? Like, I'd actually argue they were more known for the opposite. But nowadays, after the games I've mentioned, I've also begun to realize that the idea is still more reasonable than ever before, which I wish wasn't the case.

I'm rambling here, but I'm going to choose to keep my head up, simply because I'd rather spend my time being optimistic than pessimistic, but who knows what will happen. Like I said in another thread recently, lets hope the direct clears stuff up!

(edit: condensed my ideas a bit better.)

 

[MandatoryCatalyst]

I think it could either way, but I'm leaning more into at least SOME form of content expansion. I think people have been just a tad too pessimistic about everything, but I'm not going to pretend like I know better in either direction lol. I hope there is! I'd love to see a third Dapples kit. I'd love to see a... good... Dapples kit.

My bets are we're getting amiibo announcements in the June direct (Fingers crossed for Acht amiibo. Please I need that nonbinary octopus SO bad), and then if we're getting a content expansion, it's going to be announced then, otherwise I'd say odds are we aren't getting one. But again, I refuse to confidently say either way, I could be WAY off base!

 

[Driftwood]

I kind of feel like any speculation of a content extension should probably take the release of the Switch 2 into consideration (because pretty much every release decision Nintendo makes at this point would be affected by the release of their new console). And while this is unconfirmed the interesting thing to me is that the leaks originally placed the release of the Switch 2 in late 2024 and then later they reported that the release was delayed to early 2025. If this is true then Nintendo originally planning for the upcoming season to be the last one makes a lot of sense since most of the promotional resources would be targeted toward the new console and any new games that would be coming out on it. But if it was delayed then there would suddenly be a ~4-6 month gap in Nintendo's release schedule.

So I'm wondering if they might release a small extension to cover that period. A few new kits and some new clothing would potentially only need modifications to existing assets which would minimize the dev time (most of which is probably being directed to games on the new system). New kits would probably require a lot of balance testing internally though I'm not expecting much on that front imo.

I guess there is also the possibility of a Splatoon 3 Deluxe on the new console, but assuming they want crossplay I feel like additional content would be limited (possibly just new clothing and maybe some graphical improvements).

Obviously this is all based on unconfirmed leaks so take all this with a large grain of salt.

 

[Cephalobro]

I can see maybe a new single-player mode involving every character from the previous single-player stories (except for Mr. Grizz for obvious reasons) coming to fight whatever threat that Tartar became in the desert. This time, it's impossible to keep it a secret.

As for Amiibos, the two versions of Agent 8 are the most likely, with the second version of Pearl and Marina being second most likely, the Amiibos will release in pairs, so it has to be an established duo of characters of some kind.

 

[Driftwood]

Oh just a side note (and I know this a little pedantic) but I feel like we shouldn't say that this is the "end of Splatoon 3" or things like that. The end of content updates is only "the end of the game" if people stop playing, and that isn't necessarily going to happen (at least not en masse). I mean it partially comes down to how well the devs end up balancing the game before they stop patching it but to me the fact that so many people are sad that new content seems to be coming to the end indicates that a lot of people still love the game. Yeah it'll be a bummer when new content stops and if anyone isn't having fun any more they should of course stop playing. But the end of Splatoon 3....the end of the Splatoon community? That's a decision we make, not Nintendo (well at least until they kill the servers).

 

[briank913]

I left this comment somewhere else and I'll say it here:

When S1 and S2 came out, the circumstances they were in are different from 3. S1 was an unexpected success on a financially failing console, so 1 more year to help boost Wii U sale (thus Splatoon's too). S2 came out 4 months into the Switch's life, and with the Switch's overwhelming success, content extension was a no-brainer (more Switch sold means more potential S2 sales).

S3's circumstances are very different: released 5 years and 6 months into the Switch's lifespan with dedicated 2 year support. Now with the Switch 2 rumor circulating and very likely, the team will have to focus on Animal Crossing for the Switch 2 first (if they are). For those who say September will hot the 2 year mark, consider the possibility that September may or may not just be a mid-sized/large balance patch to leave the game. More content is nice but never at the expense of QOL.

I'd say just enjoy what's left and save yourself from potential disappointment.

 

[Aiko.Octo]

I feel like it's economically unlikely, considering at the end of the day updates are meant to either attract more people to buy the game or keep people playing the game (so the community is alive enough to attract new people to buy the game), but there's sort of a point of diminishing returns with that as a game ages. If it weren't for the Switch 2 pending announcement, I'd be more hopeful, but I'm not sure how much money nintendo is willing to put in to keep a game 'alive' on a console that they may be preparing to attract everyone away from with the new console anyway.

But I think it is possible that we get a very minor, low-effort content extension. No big trailers, no new catalogs, maps, etc., but maybe releasing 3rd kits in a trickle over the next several seasons, maybe not 100% recycling the catalogs but 'remixing' them, each one offering a mix of previous content and other things like chunks, sea snails, and king scales, with maybe one or two actually new items at the end. Something like that.

I've already made peace with whatever happens, so while it would be a nice surprise to see more content, I'm pretty content with what we have. Also, if the end of updates follows Splat2's patterns and gives us new features for private battles (almost certainly we'll be able to do private tricolors, but even better if they let us do private challenge modes), it could prompt some new and interesting tournaments to spring up, which could attract more people to the competitive scene.

 

[mossyquartz]

I was actually writing up a thread to ask this myself...

I'm very conflicted. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but in the latter half of the Switch's lifetime I began to notice its titles have turned out half-baked? From what I played, Mario Maker 2 really disappointed me because it lost all its charm compared to the first, New Horizons lacks a lot of what made New Leaf great off the bat, and now Splatoon 3 just took two years to get 2nd kits with a lot more still missing.

I still think that this is the last season and I'm cool with that, but my gut is REALLY telling me to believe there will be more content coming because it's almost obvious. But, the only reason why I also believe the opposite is because of the decline in game quality I've noticed lately, where Nintendo seemingly doesn't care to uphold the quality of previous games in their series.

I don't agree with the idea of "Nintendo only promised 2 years of content, they are going to leave the game to die right after time expires" because I don't recall Nintendo ever doing that with the previous Splatoons or games before then? Like, I'd actually argue they were more known for the opposite. But nowadays, after the games I've mentioned, I've also begun to realize that the idea is still more reasonable than ever before, which I wish wasn't the case.

I'm rambling here, but I'm going to choose to keep my head up, simply because I'd rather spend my time being optimistic than pessimistic, but who knows what will happen. Like I said in another thread recently, lets hope the direct clears stuff up!

(edit: condensed my ideas a bit better.)

That's def how I feel, I rly wanna stay optimistic about it. I don't think they'd just leave the game to die with no real acknowledgement of it ending

 

[Masked_Katz]

That's def how I feel, I rly wanna stay optimistic about it. I don't think they'd just leave the game to die with no real acknowledgement of it ending

Exactly. For me, its ultimately less of a concern about more content, but moreso about communication. I won't have to worry about believing one way or another - or even see people argue and judge each other for doing the same - once Nintendo gives us a clear answer on what's to come. To be fair, they have been known for being vague and preferring to drop hints about this sorta stuff, but I appreciated when they flat out said Bonerattle Arena was the last Salmon Run map when it was being revealed for example.

 

[Driftwood]

I was just watching a Koramora video and was uh, gently reminded that while Splatoon fans might be bummed about content ending, Animal Crossing fans have been without anything new for a couple years now. To be fair, they're probably due for some attention from the devs.

 

[Flango]

The thing is, kits are decently easy to make or release, or at least I’d think so. Meaning that if they suddenly had a 6 month gap in their schedule, wouldn’t this be one of the small things too full it with?

 

[missingno]

I've said many times that it absolutely will not happen.

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.

 

[reelrollsweat]

what if the moon was made of cheese

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

I've said many times that it absolutely will not happen.

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.

I would agree with this, except that there appears to have been an internal delay for the switch 2. I think the most likely option is that they release a little bit of extra content, like they did with the extra splatfests during covid.

 

[missingno]

The extra Splatfests were only Splatfests. They didn't go back to add any new maps or weapons to S2.

It's pretty clear that they're wrapping up. Last season we were told that Bonerattle Arena would be the final Salmon Run map. This season they're dropping both kits together for the new weapons. BIG Big Run is clearly meant to be a finale. If they were planning on an extension, wouldn't these things all come later as part of that extension?

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

It's pretty clear that they're wrapping up. Last season we were told that Bonerattle Arena would be the final Salmon Run map. This season they're dropping both kits together for the new weapons. BIG Big Run is clearly meant to be a finale.

Yes.

If they were planning on an extension, wouldn't these things all come later as part of that extension?

Not necessarily. It might have been a bit of a stretch to say that more content is the most likely possibility, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that it's a possibility. It doesn't seem at all unrealistic, especially since it's no secret we want third kits.

 

[mossyquartz]

what if the moon was made of cheese

I would eat it :3

 

[Grekly]

Personally hard to say I think it’s possible but I wouldn’t hold my breath. The lack of communication just leaves us wondering what is going to happen. But what is most likely to happen is 3rd kits since it’s the easiest thing to do. But for other things like new maps/weapons I think those are done for.

 

[Bennet]

I've said many times that it absolutely will not happen.

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.

I am just hoping for a re-run of previous splatfests like they did in S2