Splatoon Game Announced for Nintendo Switch 2 With a New Trailer

Splatoon Raiders appears to be a single-player survival game.

June 10, 2025, 9:55am

This morning, Splatoon fans were surprised with a pretty big announcement for Nintendo Switch 2. It’s been confirmed that a new Splatoon game is in development for the system. However, this is not Splatoon 4, as many had expected to see. Instead, it’s a brand-new spin-off game in development called Splatoon Raiders. Little is known about the game so far, but the story will have some kind of focus on the members of Deep Cut: Shiver, Frye, and Big Man. Players will take on the role of a mechanic while exploring a new location known as the Spirhalite Islands.

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From the game’s debut trailer, it appears Deep Cut and the mechanic were stranded in this new location following a helicopter crash. At the moment, details are very slim, but it looks like players will be tasked with exploring the Spirhalite Islands, helping Deep Cut, and finding a way back home. Also, uncovering the mystery behind a beam of light that caused the helicopter to crash in the first place. The first trailer for Splatoon Raiders can be found below.

From the trailer, it looks like Splatoon Raiders will be a third-person action game with some survival elements. At one point in the trailer, the mechanic can be seen dousing Big Man with ink, though the exact reasoning is unclear. We can also see the character exploring the island alongside a robot companion. The art style still feels very much rooted in the Splatoon series, but there are some notable design elements that evoke the survival concept. For example, the mechanic’s equipment has a look that feels like it’s been thrown together quickly, with ropes holding everything in place.

If there is one downside to the Splatoon Raiders trailer, it’s the fact that no release date has been announced, as of this writing. That could suggest that we’ll be waiting to experience the spin-off game until sometime in 2026. Based on Nintendo’s current release schedule for Switch 2 games, that wouldn’t be hugely surprising, but hopefully the game ends up in the first half of the year. Nintendo tends to avoid announcing anything too far in advance, so that could be a possibility.

Hopefully we can expect to learn a lot more about Splatoon Raiders in the near future. From the trailer, it looks like the game will still play similarly to the single-player content in traditional Splatoon games; in that regard, this doesn’t seem as drastic a spin-off as Hey, Pikmin! was compared to the numbered games in that series. However, that could change as we start to learn more. If Splatoon 4 is still far away, this could be the perfect thing to tide fans over as they wait patiently. The reality is, Splatoon has become a major franchise for Nintendo, with a dedicated following. Hopefully this will prove to be an interesting experience that helps further develop the world of the series.

Are you excited about this Splatoon spin-off? Do you think we’ll be waiting a while for Splatoon 4? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!