Shortly after the launch of Switch 2, a new Splatoon spin-off was announced by Nintendo. Titled Splatoon Raiders, the game has a single-player focus, and the members of Deep Cut seem to be playing a major role in the narrative. Nintendo hasn’t offered much in the way of details since that initial announcement, but it seems more information may have leaked thanks to a retailer in Malaysia (via GoNintendo). According to this retailer, the game will emphasize “adventure and exploration,” with a bigger focus on story than we’ve seen from past Splatoon games. Players can also expect some kind of a quest system.
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The leak goes on to note that the player character in Splatoon Raiders will be “skilled in mechanical modification.” Considering that Nintendo has thus far referred to the character as The Mechanic, that’s not too surprising. In fact, what we know of the game so far is that Deep Cut members Shiver, Frye, and Big Man have found themselves stranded on the Spirhalite Islands following a helicopter crash. The game’s campaign seems to center around the player using their skills to build them a way home.
Interestingly enough, this apparent leak claims that Splatoon Raiders will be released in 2025. Nintendo has thus far avoided offering any kind of a release window for the game, but that would be pretty surprising based on what we know of the company’s plans for this year. On August 14th, Drag x Drive will be released on Nintendo Switch 2, while Pokemon Legends: Z-A is coming on October 16th. Beyond those two games, we know of at least three more Nintendo published games supposedly coming out in 2025: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, and Kirby Air Riders. Assuming Nintendo will stick to releasing one of these games a month, 2025 is looking pretty full.
It’s likely we’ll get some clarity about the company’s release schedule during the next Nintendo Direct. As of this writing, Nintendo has not announced when it will host its next livestream, but rumors suggest that we’ll be seeing one before the end of July. That would be the perfect place to lay out plans for the rest of 2025, and possibly offer our next look at Splatoon Raiders. This game is the first spin-off in the 10 year history of the franchise, so this is a pretty big deal, and it will be interesting to see how it differs from a DLC expansion.
The existence of Splatoon Raiders could suggest that Splatoon 4 is still pretty far off. While newer content for Splatoon 3 has slowed down since the Grand Festival Splatfest last year, we’ve still seen some new Splatfests, additional weapons, and even a Switch 2 upgrade. Hopefully the combination of Splatoon Raiders and more Splatoon 3 content will be enough to tide fans over until the next true mainline entry.
Do you think Splatoon Raiders will actually come out this year? When do you think we’ll see Splatoon 4 released? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
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