Splatoon 4 Just Became Even More Likely After New Nintendo Move

November 28, 2025, 3:28pm

It seems like a virtual guarantee that Splatoon 4 will one day release following a new move from Nintendo. Over the past decade, Splatoon has likely been the most successful new IP to come from Nintendo. The original Splatoon started out as an exclusive for Wii U and was followed by two sequels in the form of Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 on Nintendo Switch. Given that every game in the series has been hit with critics and players alike, it seemed like only a matter of time until Splatoon 4 was officially announced to be in development for Switch 2. Now, a new update from Nintendo seems to verify that as much is happening.

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As of this week, Nintendo announced that it had purchased Bandai Namco Studios Singapore. This development studio, which previously belonged to Bandai Namco, will now be folded into Nintendo proper and will be rebranded as Nintendo Studios Singapore. This deal won’t fully take effect until April 1, 2026, which is when 80% of the company will formally be acquired by Nintendo. The additional 20% will then be purchased “once the subsidiary’s operations have stabilized.”

So how does this move impact the future of the Splatoon series? Well, Bandai Namco Studios Singapore is a studio that has worked with Nintendo in a support role in the past on many different titles. Projects like New Pokemon Snap and Mario Sports: Superstars were all made with assistance from Bandai Namco Studios Singapore. More recently, though, the company also aided with work on Splatoon 3, which is its latest collaboration with Nintendo.

The conclusion to draw from this move, at least in my opinion, is that Nintendo swooped in to buy Bandai Namco Studios Singapore so that it could work more directly with the company once again on Splatoon 4. Assuming that Nintendo was pleased with its previous collaboration with the studio, which it surely was given that it just purchased it, then there’s reason to believe that Nintendo Studios Singapore will be a key contributor to Splatoon 4. While there’s always the chance that it could end up working on something completely different, another Splatoon game seems like the most likely endeavor for this new addition to Nintendo to focus on.