Splatoon 3 Has Gone Oddly Quiet Ahead of Launch

Despite some Mario sports-sized hurdles along the way, Nintendo's had a pretty good year so far in terms of first-party releases. The beginning of the year saw Pokemon Legends: Arceus, March saw Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has just dropped. But as the year moves into its latter half, Nintendo is getting ready to strike up the release-day orchestra once more, as fans are about to receive another handful of first-party exclusives - one of which is the eagerly anticipated Splatoon 3.

Announced back in February 2021, Splatoon 3 is the next installment in Nintendo's vibrant, paint-splattered competitive shooter series, and this time, there's more content than ever. As well as the usual multiplayer modes, Splatoon 3 is adding the fan-favorite Salmon Run horde mode to the game, as well as a full single-player campaign for the first time in series history. Splatoon 3 is only a month out, but for some odd reason, Nintendo has gone oddly quiet on the game.

Splatoon 3 Has Gone Dark

Splatoon 3 is set for a September 9, 2022 release, and by all official accounts, it'll almost certainly make this release date. But this does make Nintendo's recent silence on the game feel a little odd. There have been four trailers for Splatoon 3 so far, with the first appearing alongside its announcement in February 2021. This trailer gave players their first brief look at the sequel's improved customization, its multiplayer mode, and an impressive single-player story mode.

Nintendo then went dark, and another Splatoon 3 trailer wasn't debuted until September 2021, where the game's Turf War mode was shown off in some more detail. The game's campaign, now titled "Return of the Mammalians" was also given some more details. Another half-year gap then occurred, with Splatoon 3's third trailer not coming until a February 2022 Nintendo Direct, which showcased the game's Salmon Run: Next Wave mode. The most recent trailer for Splatoon 3 was released in April 2022, meaning that it's been around four months since fans last saw the game.

While this isn't completely out of the ordinary for a AAA game, it is a little odd for a first-party Nintendo game. With only a month to go before Splatoon 3 is released, fans may have been expecting a little more information on some of the game's more mysterious features, specifically its brand-new campaign, which hasn't had a lot revealed about it. It's often the case that a first-party Nintendo game gets at least one Nintendo Direct focused solely on the game, detailing all that fans can expect when it releases.

While there's still time for Nintendo to publish a Direct focused on Splatoon 3's various modes and new features, it seems a little unlikely this close to launch. As a comparison, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are releasing on November 18, 2022, and they've already had three trailers, the latest of which broke down Pokemon's newest setting. The silence currently surrounding Splatoon 3 is certainly a little odd, but it shouldn't be anything that fans should worry about all too much about. Based on the footage that has been released so far, it seems as though Splatoon 3 is going to offer another wonderfully bright and chaotic shooter experience. Still, hopefully that silence is broken before Splatoon 3's September 9 release date, as a lengthy trailer breaking down all the features of the sequel would surely be welcomed by fans.