A reliable leaker has claimed another entry in the Splatoon series is already underway, along with a new title related to Nintendo Switch Sports.
Nintendo has released three mainline Splatoon games over the past decade and you don’t need any inside knowledge to imagine that a fourth will be arriving early in the Switch 2’s lifetime.
While Nintendo usually takes many years between sequels for its biggest IP (it’s been 10 years since the last Mario Kart, for example), Splatoon is one of the rare cases where it bucks the trend – mainly because of its huge success in Japan, where Splatoon 3 is the fastest-selling game ever.
As such, while it’s only been two years since Splatoon 3, it isn’t too surprising to hear that another instalment might already be in the works.
According to reliable leaker Midori, Nintendo is working on a new project with the codename Spiral, which is ‘very likely’ to be the ‘next entry in the Splatoon series’.
While there’s some room for doubt in the wording, it makes sense that Nintendo would be working on another Splatoon, as it gears up to launch a new console.
For context though, the previous Splatoon games were codenamed Gambit, Blitz and Thunder respectively, so they often don’t have any clear connection with the IP itself.
There’s no indication of how far along it potentially is in development, but Splatoon 2 came out the same year as the original Switch and Nintendo are likely aiming for a similar timeframe for their new console.
Coincidentally, dataminer OatmealDome recently found evidence to suggest that support might be winding down for Splatoon 3. A new Splatfest codenamed Sand was discovered in the game’s files following update 8.0.0, with some speculating it might be the final major Splatfest for this year.
For context, Nintendo said it would support Splatoon 3 with free updates for at least two years, so it would line-up with the company’s past comments.
Midori has seemingly outed several other Nintendo projects recently, which might make an appearance at the show, including a project with the codename Anna, which is believed to be connected to Nintendo Switch Sports as that title was codenamed Elsa. Nintendo, it seems, are big fans of Frozen.
There’s also a number of rumours around a new Zelda game or spin-off, although no agreement on what the project might be – other than that a remaster of Twilight Princess is already finished and waiting for a release date.
Nintendo has not officially announced a date for the presentation yet, but with Summer Game Fest kicking off on June 7, it’s likely we’ll hear something soon.
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