‘We still haven’t thought of the future’
Today, Nintendo’s popular online title Splatoon 2 begins its biggest weekend to date. The Chaos vs. Order splatfest – known as the Splatocalypse – will see the global community come together for one final war, siding with hosts Pearl or Marina in what will be Splatoon 2‘s final splatfest. The end of an era indeed.
Despite the fact that one of the Switch’s most-populated multiplayer games is winding down, it appears that work hasn’t even started on a possible sequel, or any Splatoon-related titles for that matter. Speaking in an interview with Famitsu, producer Hisashi Nogami stated that although players can still expect balance adjustments going forward, no one should be holding their breath for an incoming announcement.
“Splatoon 2’s production started moving right after 1 was released,” stated Nogami, in a translation courtesy of Japanese Nintendo. “Now we also had production for Octo Expansion so we’re fully focused on the updates, and we still haven’t thought of the future… We’ll think of them after everything is over. We’re not yet at a phase where we can make a promise, but we’d like to return the favor in some sort of way to many people who have supported us.”
Of course, this isn’t the de-confirmation of a Splatoon 3, for example, but it reads as if Nogami and the rest of the development team aren’t waiting in the wings to suddenly drop some huge reveal immediately following the end of this weekend’s Splatocalypse.
Splatoon is more than just a multiplayer title. For many players, it is a community, a place to hang out, be themselves and enjoy the company of others, as evidenced by the jovial conversations known to take place within the Inkopolis Plaza. Given the brand’s global popularity – and its merchandising potential – it would be remiss not to attempt to keep the franchise alive. It just seems that the fans may have to wait a little longer for big news than they might’ve hoped.
The Chaos vs. Order splatfest takes place worldwide from today until July 21. Good luck.