Splatoon 3 Will Have 3-Team Splatfests, Card Deckbuilding Mode, and More

The Splatoon 3 Direct showcasing details about the upcoming game has just aired, and it had 30 minutes packed with new information.

In addition to all of the returning features from previous Splatoon games, such as Turf Wars, Ranked Battles, Salmon Run, and more, plenty of new features will be introduced.

One of the biggest changes coming to the game is how Splatfests will work. Instead of choosing between two teams like in previous games, all Splatfests will have three teams to choose from. Additionally, Splatfest battles will have two parts.

In the first half of Splatfest battles, it is a normal 4v4 Turf War like before. In the second half, a brand new mode called Tricolor Turf War will happen. In this mode, three teams battle each other at the same exact time, meaning three teams with three ink colors are on the stage. The top team will be sandwiched in the middle of players from the second- and third-place teams.

This will be a huge change to the strategy of Splatfests.

There are three teams to choose from because there are three popstar idols in Splatoon 3. This time, we’ll enjoy the company of Shiver the Octoling, Frye the Inkling, and Big Man the Mantaray in a group called Deep Cut. They will be the ones to deliver the Splatville news, which can be viewed on Seacucumber phones instead of sitting through the program upon loading up the game.

Another major change coming to Splatoon 3 is a new mode called Table Turf Battles. This is a 1v1 card deckbuilding mode that simulates Turf War battles through in-game collectible cards. Each player will receive a starter deck that can be built upon. Essentially, it’s a mini-game inside the full game.

The Splatoon 3 Direct also showcased a ton of other new information, such as new weapons like Splatanas, a new way to move through ink to do damage, new customization options, easier ways to team up with friends online, and so much more.

The presentation briefly showed what we can expect from Return of the Mammalians, the story mode, as well as new bosses in Salmon Run.

In addition to all of this new content, it was confirmed that there will be post-launch updates for at least two years after the game releases. A new catalogue of gear and weapons will release every three months, X Battles and League Battles will come at a later point, and there is even large-scale paid DLC planned.

The presentation ended with the confirmation of the first Global Splatfest, which will occur before the game launches. This means everyone can test out the game’s first Splatfest, which will feature the theme of Rock vs. Paper vs. Scissors. This will occur on Aug. 27 from 9 am to 9 pm.

You can watch the full Splatoon 3 Direct below, which runs nearly 32 minutes in length.

Splatoon 3 releases for the Nintendo Switch on September 9. A special Nintendo Switch OLED Splatoon 3 Edition will be launching later this month.

You can also watch the trailer for Deep Cut’s theme Anarchy Rainbow, featured in Splatfests, below.