UPDATED 17/2/21: Splatoon 3 will be releasing in 2022, as stated in a recent Nintendo Direct.]

One of Nintendo’s most successful new IP’s, Splatoon has performed exceptionally well since its initial release in 2015 for the Wii U. Spawning a superior sequel only two years later on Nintendo SwitchSplatoon has reached superstar status on Nintendo’s lineup. A third entry to the series is inevitable, but after three years how long can gamers realistically wait for Splatoon 3?

The Splatoon development team consists of several core members of the Animal Crossing team, along with an array of developers under the umbrella of the Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development Division. The Nintendo EDP is a newer division within Nintendo that combined two previous divisions, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development Division along with Nintendo Software Planning & Development. The new Nintendo EDP is now Nintendo’s largest division and is responsible for games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Related: Why Animal Crossing Needs Combat

Even on a failing console, the Splatoon series ended up selling nearly 5 million copies on Wii U. Splatoon 2 has doubled those numbers on Switch and continues to receive support from Nintendo well after the developers promised to end post-release content. It’s been three years since Splatoon 2 released, marking a longer time period between releases compared to the first and second games. Fans are eagerly awaiting an announcement for Splatoon 3, but they most likely have to wait at least a year for a new game.

Splatoon 3 Is Still A Long Way Out

An image of the player trying to cover the ground in pain in Splatoon 2

Nintendo games generally tend to release on their own schedule, only marked ready for release when the developers feel the game is fully complete. Since the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo EDP has been hard at work making post-release content for the game. If Splatoon 2’s development cycle is put into consideration, it’s most likely Animal Crossing will see updates for at least two years or more. However, it doesn’t take the entire team to work on those updates, as shown by the three years of support Splatoon 2 got while Nintendo EDP keeps pumping games out.

There was an entire seven-year gap between Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but Nintendo EDP released a number of spin-off Animal Crossing titles between those mainstream releases including Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival and Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. When it comes to time between Splatoon releases, there was only a two-year gap between the first two games, but Splatoon 2 also received a hefty single-player DLC in 2018, along with a plethora of new weapons, stages, and game modes, with several bug fixes and Splatfests still being worked on. Putting these time frames and development efforts into consideration, and it would make sense that Splatoon 3 would still need some time to cook in the oven.

The Splatoon games are excellent examples of Nintendo’s ability to create innovative new franchises. In order for Splatoon 3 to reach its full potential, Nintendo is going to have to heavily invest in improving the online infrastructure and ease of access when it comes to playing with friends. In Splatoon 2’s current state, coordinating with friends to play together can be quite a hassle and is one of the few things holding the game back.

The Nintendo Switch is full of evergreen titles that will continue to sell millions until Nintendo’s next console releases. Chances are, there won’t be another Animal Crossing or Mario Kart game released on the system, as new Switch owners will continue to flock towards those titles regardless. Splatoon, however, still has a few quirks to work out and would greatly benefit from an updated sequel. Fans of the series were hoping for a release in 2020, but chances are a Splatoon 3 release will only come in 2021 or later.

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