Oh, paid DLC. You just love to rear your controversial head where it doesn’t belong, don’t you? Still, a fairly substantial-looking campaign mode for Splatoon 2 is something a lot of us can get behind.

As soon as it was confirmed that a new Nintendo Direct was coming on March 8, the internet did its usual internet thing. Pre-emptive whining and disappointment about the games on show, snark about the Switch, the rampant fanboyism on the other end of the spectrum… you know how these things tend to go.

Incoming Nintendo Directs are usually met with a pre-E3 sort of response, only in miniature. Yesterday’s show proved quite interesting, with the in-depth look at Mario Tennis Aces many had predicted. There was also that classic Nintendo bait and Switch with the reveal of Smash Bros. Switch right at the end, which is coming to the system this year. For Splatoon 2 fans, though, there was an embarrassment of riches to enjoy.

Since the system’s launch, Splatoon 2 has been its main competitive draw. The game is no Call of Duty or Battlefield, but the quirky and colourful shooter just reeks Nintendo. Think of it as their Mario Kart to the genre’s Forza or Gran Turismo. It’s a unique series, and one that has built itself a dedicated fanbase since the first outing on the Wii U in 2015. It’s mainly an online multiplayer affair, as with most shooters, but yesterday’s Nintendo Direct revealed something brand new coming to the game.

Nintendo Announces Paid DLC For Splatoon 2
Via: Gematsu

As the footage reveals, an all-new single player mode, Octo Expansion, is on the way. You’ll play as Agent Eight, a character we haven’t encountered before. In true campaign mode fashion, she awakes in a deserted subway station without her memories, and you must fight to discover the truth about her and her past as you explore. There are a range of test facilities in this eerie world, connected by subway trains, and all manner of missions and challenges to complete along the way.

Success in this mode, we’re told, will allow the player to join online matches as an octoling (Agent Eight appears to be one), and you’ll find out much more about the familiar characters along the way. This is one for the Splatoon faithful who just can’t get enough of this zany world.

The DLC is scheduled to arrive this Summer, priced at $19.99. You can pre-purchase it now, to immediately receive exclusive Octo headgear and clothes.

In the interim, Splatoon 2 version 3.0 is also on the way, arriving in late April. It’s set to bring over one hundred new pieces of gear to the game, new stages such as Piranha Pit and Wahoo World, and the elite new ‘rank X.’ This is a step above even rank S+, and can only be achieved once players fulfil certain conditions.

Nintendo haven’t given any more solid details about these things, but one thing’s for sure: there’s a lot of life in Splatoon 2 yet.