'We've Been Going Full Speed Ahead for Over 11 years': Nintendo Explains Why It Hasn't Made Splatoon 4 — Yet

Nintendo's marque caller Switch 2 exclusive Splatoon Raiders is receiving rave reviews — but where's Splatoon 4? Speaking successful a behind-the-scenes interview, the series' developers person explained wherefore they wanted to motorboat a co-operative spinoff first.

Launched successful 2015 for the ill-fated Wii U, the precise archetypal Splatoon survived the turmoil of that console procreation to go 1 of Nintendo's astir palmy caller franchises successful caller years. Switch sequels Splatoon 2 and 3 rapidly followed... until Nintendo amazed fans by confirming that Splatoon Raiders would beryllium next.

Primarily single-player, Raiders is an enactment RPG that eschews the franchise's typically hectic ink-based multiplayer brawls for an acquisition that focuses connected its shooter mechanics, brag battles and story. And this was each a deliberate consideration, shaper Seita Inoue has said, to bring successful caller players to the franchise astatine a cardinal point.

"We've been going afloat velocity up for implicit 11 years since the series' launch, processing and updating 3 titles on the way," Inoue explained, via a Nintendo Ask the Developer interview. "We thought it mightiness beryllium absorbing to make thing with a somewhat antithetic attack to gameplay, wherever you tin truly savor the enactment connected your own. Splatoon isn't conscionable astir competitory play; it besides includes cooperative modes similar Salmon Run and a single-player Story Mode.

"So, 1 of our motivations for processing this crippled was our tendency to make a caller introduction constituent into the bid by releasing these non-competitive elements not conscionable arsenic a secondary feature, but arsenic a standalone spinoff. That said, we volition proceed to make competitory gameplay going forward. That's wherefore we developed this crippled arsenic a spin-off and not arsenic 'Splatoon 4'."

It's hard not to perceive of the Splatoon squad processing much competitory gameplay possibilities and not deliberation Splatoon 4 volition beryllium connected the mode yet — though Nintendo has not said wherever the bid volition caput next. For now, there's plentifulness of escapade to beryllium had successful the Spirhalite Islands with the Deep Cut gang, arsenic Raiders tasks players to erstwhile again spell into conflict against the dreaded Salmonids.

"Splatoon Raiders is an incredibly well-designed enactment RPG with an expertly executed loop," we wrote, standing the crippled arsenic a 9/10 successful IGN's Splatoon Raiders review. "Its heavy customization, challenging battles, and sheer assortment marque it the champion Splatoon run yet and 1 of the apical games connected Switch 2."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social