Cedric Pabriga 
Not even two years after Splatoon 3’s release date, Splatoon 4 is reportedly already in development.
Multiplayer-focused PC games Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can run for over 10 years. Console games like Street Fighter 5 will often get supported for more than five years. Nintendo is taking a different approach, and not necessarily one that will work out for fans of ink-based territorial combat.
After data mines discovered code that suggests Nintendo is stopping Splatoon 3 updates, a prominent leaker is reporting that a new game in the series is being made. Here’s what we know about this possible Splatoon 4, and when it might come out.
Are they really making a Splatoon 4?
A new Splatoon project is reportedly in development and it might be Splatoon 4.
Midori is a prominent leaker of information regarding Persona games and the inner workings of Atlus and Sega. In recent months, they have recently transitioned to leaking information from games and companies they could get their hands on. Alongside reports on Square Enix and its long-awaited Final Fantasy 9 remake, Midori touched upon Splatoon and said something new is in the works.
It’s unclear what this new Splatoon project might be. Beyond its existence, no information was given. It’s unclear how far it is into development, or what platform it might be released on. It’s also unclear whether this is a new game, an enhanced port, or DLC. Nintendo has not confirmed the development of any Splatoon content beyond Splatoon 3 updates.
Nintendo doesn’t traditionally offer AAA releases on its past-gen consoles. With Nintendo confirming the existence of Switch 2 and reporters stating it has an early 2025 release date, it can be said that there is a high chance that any new Splatoon game will only be released for Switch 2.
Splatoon 3 and 2 players don’t have to fear their games becoming obsolete, though. Splatoon 1 was released in 2015 and its servers were only closed down in April 2024 due to the shutdown of Wii U and 3DS servers.
When will Splatoon 4 come out?
Splatoon 4 doesn’t have a definite release date as of writing.
Nintendo doesn’t have a fixed schedule for when it releases Splatoon games. The first Splatoon game was released in 2015 and Splatoon 2 was released in 2017. After that, the game took a 5-year gap and released Splatoon 3 in 2022.
If this Splatoon “game project” is a new game, it may not be released for years. It could come out much sooner if it is a DLC expansion or an enhanced port for Nintendo’s next-gen hardware.
Splatoon 3 is still alive however, players are thinking that this year might be the last year Splatoon 3 is going to be supported by Nintendo. Its servers will probably be up for quite a long time, so fans will have ample time to play it.
