'Splatoon 3' Regular Updates Will End 2 Years After Launch, Nintendo Confirms

Nintendo confirmed that it will be ending regular updates for Splatoon 3 two years after the third-person shooter was released.

The news comes after a weekend of celebrations with Splatoon 3's Grand Festival event. The social media post also clarified that this does not mean the game itself is coming to an end. There will be no more regular updates but there will still be seasonal events.

Splatoon 3's Regular Updates

These include things like Splatoween and Frosty Fest which will arrive every now and then. Others, such as Big Run and Eggstra Work will be staying for the "time being." The situation was teased back in July.

This was with a tweet from @SplatoonJP that was translated to be referring to the Grand Festival as the "final battle." The event took place over the weekend and had a huge arena for live performances, according to NintendoLife.

Splatoon 3 is a Nintendo Switch exclusive that involves players moving around while firing ink-based weapons. The game sold more than 11.96 million copies as of the end of March 2024.

The end of the game's regular updates comes ahead of Nintendo's anticipated reveal of its successor to the Switch. The company indicated that the upcoming device will not be released before April 2025.

The Splatoon franchise's popularity makes it highly likely that another game in the series will make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2 in the future. The company has not yet said anything about the unit but expects to have a lot of stock available for launch, said IGN.

The Grand Festival

Players who missed Splatoon 3's Grand Festival performances have a chance to see them. The performances included the three main idol groups of the franchise and were big shows for participants.

This performance was held in the main Inkopolis or Splatsville hub that later disappeared with the end of the Grand Festival. You can view them again if you have specific Amiibo of the Squid Sisters, Off the Hook, or Deep Cut.

Using any of these gives you access to the Grand Festival Splatfest by scanning it as usual into Splatoon 3. A third option is now available that lets you "remember" the Grand Festival. You will then be given a choice to visit any of the three days of the event.

After this, players' Inkling or Octoling will appear back at the Grand Festival and they can look around and watch performances. However, you can no longer play on the Grand Festival stage itself in turf war battles, according to GameRant.