why is everyone saying we are not getting 3rd kits?

[Masked_Katz]

I have played since the first Splatoon but only in the latest game would I begin to seriously care about the inner workings and stay up-to-date with each update... I may have come to regret that because this game has disappointed me a lot, which is a first for the series. The more content that is revealed, the more people have something to be upset about, and I think it has rubbed off on me.

One thing I frequently hear across the community is "I can't believe we aren't getting 3rd kits" along with people berating each other for believing otherwise, so I have come to accept it as well. However, while waiting for this season to roll out, I have been visiting the past games I love so much and realized that nearly every weapon in those games has a 3rd kit, many of which I'd learn were released after the games' last scheduled updates.

So, I really need to know: WHY are we not getting 3rd kits? Is there evidence for this or are people being pessimistic? From what I know, the other games got their 3rd kits late in their life, so I feel like I'm missing something... Surely the devs wouldn't introduce all these new specials with only enough time to give them to a few more weapons, right? I'm not saying that we ARE getting 3rd kits, but I don't want to choose to assume the worst, y'know?

 

[Terratius]

In the Splatoon 3 Direct back in 2022, they announced that they would be adding new catalogues every 3 months for 2 years.

23:25
Since we are entering 2nd last season now, it seems unlikely that we are getting 3rd kits in this game, unless they extend the 2-year content support period. Also, with Switch 2 seemingly being on the horizon, its very likely that the devs will be focusing their efforts on a Splatoon game there.

Splatoon 2 started to get 3rd kits with the Kensa collection, starting September 2018, a little over a year after release. The last update that added weapon kits, added Sheldons picks in April 2019, 21 months after release.
Meanwhile, Splatoon 3 will not even be getting 2nd kits for all of its weapons until June 2024, 21 months after release.

 

[Masked_Katz]

Splatoon 2 started to get 3rd kits with the Kensa collection, starting September 2018, a little over a year after release. The last update that added weapon kits, added Sheldons picks in April 2019, 21 months after release.
Meanwhile, Splatoon 3 will not even be getting 2nd kits for all of its weapons until June 2024, 21 months after release.

Wow, that is genuinely saddening... I asked some people through Discord about 3rd kits and they said that they were only added after the devs finished pushing out the major updates and 2nd kits in the previous games, but I assumed that was years after each of their releases. I thus thought it was reasonable to at least expect some sets of 3rd kits, like another Kensa collection, but I didn't realize just how slow content has been rolled out these past couple of years...

Thanks for qualifying, here's to hoping they turn out to be more passionate about Splatoon 4, I guess.

 

[Suchi]

In the Splatoon 3 Direct back in 2022, they announced that they would be adding new catalogues every 3 months for 2 years.

23:25
Since we are entering 2nd last season now, it seems unlikely that we are getting 3rd kits in this game, unless they extend the 2-year content support period. Also, with Switch 2 seemingly being on the horizon, its very likely that the devs will be focusing their efforts on a Splatoon game there.

Splatoon 2 started to get 3rd kits with the Kensa collection, starting September 2018, a little over a year after release. The last update that added weapon kits, added Sheldons picks in April 2019, 21 months after release.
Meanwhile, Splatoon 3 will not even be getting 2nd kits for all of its weapons until June 2024, 21 months after release.

That direct also said League Battle is coming back but it was changed into being the Challenges. I wouldn't take everything said in that direct at face value. They've extended development for S1 and 2 and I don't see why they wouldn't do it for S3.

Wow, that is genuinely saddening... I asked some people through Discord about 3rd kits and they said that they were only added after the devs finished pushing out the major updates and 2nd kits in the previous games, but I assumed that was years after each of their releases. I thus thought it was reasonable to at least expect some sets of 3rd kits, like another Kensa collection, but I didn't realize just how slow content has been rolled out these past couple of years...

Thanks for qualifying, here's to hoping they turn out to be more passionate about Splatoon 4, I guess.

The devs are doing the seasonal update in the first place to slow down development and avoid crunching the staff. Updates are gonna be slower than they were in S1 and 2 because of that new model. For now we have to be patient because I think acting dismissive before the two years are even up isn't really a good decision. I'll bite if the two years are up and there's no announcements of third kits but we can't just assume it will or won't be this way because of an outdated nintendo direct.

 

[Norilla]

It probably doesn't help that there's just enough weapons for them to make 2nd kits of every weapon in the next season (assuming they don't add a 3rd Splatana and Stringer).

Spoiler: Weapons

*Grizz Weapons in place for new Duelie and Brella

Granted, that could mean that there's a wave or two of Sheldon's Picks IF they decide to add more content after Sizzle Season 2024, but I think a 3rd kit for every weapon is unlikely.

 

[Driftwood]

This is just speculation but I kinda think that the big elephant in the room is the potential announcement of a next gen console and what affect that might have on how much traction Splatoon 3 (or any other current gen game) might be able to get once it is (presumably) announced. This isn't something that Splatoon 2 had to contend with and Splatoon 1 had a lot fewer base weapons to make 3rd kits for.

I mean I figure (hope?) that they will put Splatoon 3 on whatever new console they might release so if so there might be room for additional kits but generally I think it's hard to predict how all this might affect their plans for S3.

 

[missingno]

Surprises could happen, but I simply wouldn't get your hopes up for any kind of content extension. Keep your expectations low so you don't set yourself up for disappointment.

S1 promised 6 months of updates (IIRC, correct me if I'm misremembering) and got extended to a year due to selling way beyond what any game on a dying console should've. S2 promised 1 year and got extended to 2 years, because it too sold way better now that the console itself was successful.

For S3, they already promised 2 years right out the gate, and while the launch was stronger than S2 I don't think it was overwhelmingly so. 2 years is already a lot, I doubt they'll go much further. Three games in, Nintendo knew what to expect from this series and set their target accordingly.

There's also the fact that Switch 2 is on the horizon. Nintendo can't expect a particularly long tail of sales out of S3, and they may want the EPD 5 dev team to start shifting their focus to a next-gen project (probably Animal Crossing first before we get S4 out of them).

If you want to huff the maximum amount of copium, the best case scenario could be that we get Sheldon's Picks but nothing else - no more maps or other content to go with it. But considering how many more main weapons this game has, I'm increasingly doubtful that even that will happen.

 

[Driftwood]

There's also the fact that Switch 2 is on the horizon. Nintendo can't expect a particularly long tail of sales out of S3, and they may want the EPD 5 dev team to start shifting their focus to a next-gen project (probably Animal Crossing first before we get S4 out of them).

Honestly my main hopes/fears has to do with whether they will put S3 on their new console or not.

 

[Suchi]

Honestly my main hopes/fears has to do with whether they will put S3 on their new console or not.

iirc there's confirmation the new console will have full backwards compatibility with the Switch, so I wouldn't worry too much over that.

Even without that confirmation, Nintendo has a history of making backwards compatibility a priority if the hardware allows for it. The only example in recent memory they don't do that is the Wii U to Switch and that's because it's going from a disc-based console to a cartridge-based console. Even then, Nintendo ported most of their Wii U library to Switch to sort of make up for that.

 

[missingno]

Nothing's been confirmed because the console itself hasn't been confirmed yet. We won't know this any time soon.

I would imagine backwards compatibility is very likely though. The transitional period between console generations is getting more and more awkward, BC is a vitally necessary bridge. The only way it doesn't happen is if they have to completely change architecture so it's impossible, but I expect them to resist doing that knowing how badly they need BC.

 

[bohneevair]

It feels like Splat3 had a lot of things working against it: COVID, then Side Order crunch, and now it seems like they're already working on the next Splat game tbh.

That being said, I still am kind of expecting a Sheldon's Picks sort of situation down the line, possibly even after major updates are finished.

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

It probably doesn't help that there's just enough weapons for them to make 2nd kits of every weapon in the next season (assuming they don't add a 3rd Splatana and Stringer).

Spoiler: Weapons

View attachment 9539
*Grizz Weapons in place for new Duelie and Brella

Granted, that could mean that there's a wave or two of Sheldon's Picks IF they decide to add more content after Sizzle Season 2024, but I think a 3rd kit for every weapon is unlikely.

It's actually 10 kits remaining- the new dualie and brella will also need a 2nd kit. so hopefully we get 1 more kit this season to make it 9 and 9?

 

[Norilla]

It's actually 10 kits remaining- the new dualie and brella will also need a 2nd kit. so hopefully we get 1 more kit this season to make it 9 and 9?

"*Grizz Weapons in place for new Duelie and Brella"

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

"*Grizz Weapons in place for new Duelie and Brella"

They have to add the new dualie and brella, and they have to add second kits for the new dualie and brella.
The image only shows two grizzco weapons, not four.

edit: nvm I get it now, I forgot they're adding those this season and not the one after.
this is kinda depressing now

 

[DzNutsKong]

We're going to almost definitely be getting a new Splatana and Stringer, right? And supposedly that season would be the last one they're adding content? If so then they're going to have to release both kits for both of those on that very same season or else they're just going to have one until Splatoon 4 inevitably comes out. I highly doubt they'd leave either of those with just one kit anyways. We'll figure it out in due time though.

 

[Linneus]

It IS strange the way new weapons and new kits have come out... this game has such a tight timeline.
For the record, with Splatoon 1, in terms of...

Release • Final Weapon (Sloshing Machine) • Final Kits (8 kits including the Sploosh 7)

May 2015 • November 2015 • June 2016

For Splatoon 2... Final weapons were Bloblobber and Nautilus, Final Kits were a group of twelve including the Fresh Squiffer...

July 2017 • August 2018 • April 2019

Yet Splatoon 3, theoretically, has two unreleased weapons (since they've gone in order of all the classes), a proposed final update, and those are coinciding. We've never seen this, so there's just no way to know how they're planning to handle it. Maybe big sword and big bow are getting added alongside their second kits, as mentioned, because Machine Neo, Blob Deco, and Nautilus 79 had MANY months to come out in their respective games.

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

We're going to almost definitely be getting a new Splatana and Stringer, right? And supposedly that season would be the last one they're adding content? If so then they're going to have to release both kits for both of those on that very same season or else they're just going to have one until Splatoon 4 inevitably comes out. I highly doubt they'd leave either of those with just one kit anyways. We'll figure it out in due time though.

this is what I was trying to think of when I said there was more than 8

 

[Aiko.Octo]

I understand many of the signs are pointing to it being unlikely, and I can accept that. I just think it would be a little silly if Splatoon 3, the game that attempts to stick the number '3' in as many places as possible, sincerely never intended to give us third kits. But I suppose they've done sillier things.

 

[OnePotWonder]

We've gotten 10 total kits in Drizzle Season 2023 and now 10 total kits in Fresh Season 2024.
There are six second kits left to be added, and two new weapons, each with two kits.

It's basically a guarantee that we'll have second kits for every weapon as of Sizzle Season 2024; they would have to add in the third kits in Splatoon 3's third year, past the supposed end of updates.