Splatoon 3 is likely going to be the game that Nintendo has a laser focus on in their upcoming Nintendo Direct. While this would traditionally be their showcase that coincides with the E3 convention, this year that will not be the case. Regardless of the naming conventions and exact timing of Nintendo’s upcoming Nintendo Direct stream, it might be a good idea for fans that are patiently waiting for more Breath of the Wild 2 news or to hear some news about a new Mario game that they have tempered expectations for these popular franchises. While not officially confirmed at this point, it’s almost a certainty that there’s a full-fledged Nintendo Direct on the way in the weeks ahead.
Splatoon has been a huge success for Nintendo as a new IP
The Splatoon franchise has been a huge success for Nintendo so far considering that this franchise is fairly new and it’s a unique offering in that it squarely focuses on competitive multiplayer. The original Splatoon which released on the Wii U was a hit with Nintendo fans, but the platform itself wasn’t Nintendo’s best to date. It did pave the way for the Nintendo Switch ultimately, and with the release of the handheld hybrid console Nintendo released an updated version of Splatoon and turned it into a full fledged sequel. Regardless of whether you look at the sales on Wii U of the original which came in at around 5 Million and nearly cracked the top-5 best selling Wii U games of all time, OR, the 13+ million sales of Splatoon 2 this is a franchise that has been on the upswing.
Take into consideration that Splatoon 2 launched in 2017 as well, there’s a whole lot more Nintendo Switch consoles having been sold in the last 5 years. Splatoon 3 could be a major hit for Nintendo in 2022, but that’s not going to happen if Nintendo doesn’t focus on it heavily in marketing the game to fans to get them excited. This is done largely through the Nintendo Direct presentations in recent years, and Nintendo’s “E3” Direct is looking like a prime spot for Nintendo to showcase why their 10’s of millions of Switch owners need to hop on the Splatoon 3 hype train.
Splatoon 2 Review – Attack of the Fanboy
Critically, the franchise has been well received. We’ve reviewed both of the game and we’re believers that Nintendo has something special and unique in the Splatoon franchise that can resonate with many different types of players. Nintendo’s inability to get their online offerings up to par with PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms is another topic entirely, but Nintendo has laid the groundwork for Splatoon 3 to potentially be the best game in the franchise to date.
With E3 officially cancelled the show must go on
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Nintendo reveal some type of new functionality or accessories for the Switch Online service to go along with what could go down as the biggest Switch game of the year. Plus, time is running out to get the word out. The Splatoon 3 release date will be here before you know it and this could be the last major Nintendo Direct with the most eyes watching to show-off the game.
Splatoon 3 has a September 9th, 2022 release date which feels like it’s going to be firm, but anything can and could happen between now and then. Nintendo hasn’t actually announced this Nintendo Direct stream that we’re referencing in this article, but it is assumed that regardless of the fact that E3 2022 has been officially cancelled, the show will go on as it has for many years now.
Last year, Nintendo hosted their E3 2021 Nintendo Direct which was on June 15th. It’s probably safe to assume that the next major Nintendo Direct will take place next month and with it, Splatoon will be a major focus of the showcase.
