'Splatoon 3' Finally Gets a Release Date

Even though the Splatoon franchise is one of Nintendo's newest, it has quickly become a big hit among players. Following characters that are part human, part cephalopod, the third-person shooter game lets players blast each other with colored ink (and then transform into either a squid or octopus to travel in said ink).

The newest installment in the franchise, Splatoon 3: Return of the Mammalians, was unveiled this year, but what is its release date?

Nintendo first teased the release of Splatoon 3 during its February 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation, and with the release of a trailer in April 2022, the company confirmed it would be released exclusively for the Switch on Sept. 9, 2022.

This is the third installment in the Splatoon franchise, which was first introduced to Nintendo players in 2015 when it was released for Wii U. The second Splatoon title hit the Nintendo Switch in 2017, solidifying it as a console staple. The Inkling characters were even added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2018, memorializing the characters alongside Nintendo classics like the Mario brothers, Ganondorf, and Samus.

When the new title was initially announced, few details were revealed about the upcoming title's plot, but the trailer released during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct (along with a short presentation from the Squid Research Lab) gave viewers an idea as to what to expect from the new installment. The game's storyline will focus primarily on Agent 3 as she looks into the disappearance of mammals from their planet — hence the name Return of the Mammalians.

Other details of the main story's plot have yet to be revealed and will likely become more apparent as we get closer to the title's release date. Until then, we know that Nintendo has some new features in the works for the title to go along with this new storyline.

While many of the gameplay mechanics for multiplayer mode will remain relatively the same for the title, the most recent trailer unveiled some new weapons in the works. The Trizooka will fire three ink balls at once and, according to Nintendo, can be shot three times in total each time you use it. The Killer Wail 5.1 is another upgraded weapon that blasts off six megaphones that shoot lasers at and chase enemies during battle.

There was also another tool teased that allows players to launch themselves far distances, though the name of it has not yet been revealed.

Players will also get a new little companion, dubbed a little buddy, which you can carry around in your backpack or have trail alongside you throughout gameplay.

Altogether, it easily looks as though Splatoon 3 will be an exciting title for fans of the franchise, building on its already existing world and story.