The Splatoon series has quickly become one of Nintendo's most successful modern franchises, with the series' two entries so far selling over 16 million copies (in May 2020, it was confirmed that Splatoon 2 passed 10 million sales). Naturally, then, the announcement of a brand new entry coming in 2022 has led to fans speculating what exactly a third iteration will bring to the zany series.
With that said, fans of the series have not been afraid to be vocal about some of the biggest issue both games have had. Hopefully, some of them will be addressed in 2022's upcoming Splatoon 3.
10 Limited Stage Rotation
One of the strangest decisions both Splatoon games have made and maintained is limiting the stages players can access at any particular time. Unlike titles such as the much-beloved and always meme-worthy Overwatch, in which players are allowed to access the full collection of maps at any time, Splatoon 2 limits players to accessing two stages (with the stages in question changing every two hours).
If players logged in and weren't a fan of the current options, they'd have no choice but to wait it out and see which ones rotated in next. This kind of archaic design makes no sense and definitely needs to be modified in Splatoon 3.
9 Unskippable Introduction
Each Splatoon game gives fans two new hosts to engage with, and it's safe to assume that the third release will be no different. Upon launching the game, they tell players which maps and modes are available, as well as any other new information related to updates or upcoming events. As fun and quirky as these newsreels can be, the fact that there is no way to skip them and actually get straight into the action is bizarre.
Do players really need to be told all this information when it's presented to them moments later anyway? There is no need to completely remove it, as it adds a lot to the character of the game, but the simple addition of a skip button would go a long way.
8 Having To Exit Lobbies To Change Loadouts
As a game with a fairly wide range of weapon types, most Splatoon players find themselves constantly freshening up their chosen loadouts. Swapping out dualies for a roller or replacing a ghillie suit with the latest hoodie drop from Annaki shouldn't require you to back out of matchmaking.
Considering that abilities can massively alter your playstyle, even within the same weapon class, seamlessly being able to change loadouts between matches should be a standard feature by this point. This is definitely a quality of life improvement that could streamline another one of Splatoon's more arduous processes.
7 Shifty Station Being A Splatfest Exclusive Map
Shifty Stations were added to Splatfests and quickly became beloved by fans of Splatoon 2. With each Splatfest rolling out a new version of the stage, complete with unique features not seen in standard maps, many became fan-favorites despite only being playable for one event.
A lot of fans questioned why these maps were never added to the general stage rotation. Hopefully, then, come Splatoon 3, gamers will see more of these special stages being added into the game post-Splatfest.
6 Making Salmon Run Inaccessible By 'Closing' Grizzco Industries
Salmon Run is Splatoon's spin on the popular horde mode, acting as a great alternative to the game's main multiplayer offering. Why, then, is it limited to specific times of day, only offering player fixed stages and weapon choices during those periods to boot?
It doesn't make sense to force players out of modes they enjoy, especially as time constraints can be tough enough to manage as it is. If Salmon Run or a similar mode arrives with Splatoon 3, it should be as accessible as possible.
5 Not Allowing Native Voice Chat
Nintendo is a family-friendly company, and that seems to be why they make voice chat options rather convoluted. Using a smartphone app to communicate was archaic when the Nintendo Switch Online app was introduced. By the time Splatoon 3 hits, Nintendo will hopefully recognize the problem with preventing players from using native voice chat in online multiplayer.
The app was a hot-button issue at launch and has been a constant point of contention throughout the game's life. Of course, it's also an inherent hardware issue, but it's possible that Splatoon 3 will be able to remedy this problem.
4 Treating Singleplayer As An Afterthought
Both Splatoon games have had fairly short-lived campaigns, with the latter later adding the brilliantly tricky Octo-Expansion DLC in 2018. Splatoon's gameplay offers some incredibly unique shooter mechanics, and a full-fledged campaign that makes use of this fact would be a revelation.
While the series' audience is primarily focused on online multiplayer, the Octo-Expansion showed that singleplayer can be great fun in Splatoon. Here's hoping that Nintendo seize the chance to really deliver with the third game's solo offerings.
3 Not Allowing People To Play With Friends In Turf War
A experience as chaotically fun as Splatoon is made to be enjoyed with a few buddies (like a lot of the more underrated multiplayer experiences in Nintendo Switch's library). It makes little sense, then, that Turf War is the most accessible mode in the game and the only one that doesn't really let fans play with friends.
Technically, it is possible to do so, but there is no guarantee that they groups would even be on the same team as each other. Players shouldn't have to work around restrictions in order to play with one another and this needs to be fixed in Splatoon 3.
2 Rotating Rank Gamemodes
Splatoon 2 has four ranked game modes, which (unlike Turf War) are designed to be competitive modes that match players based on their skill level in that specific mode. As such, players should be able to access any of these modes as and when they wish to do so. In a similar fashion to map rotations, the ranked mode on offer changes every two hours, rotating between the four throughout the day.
Players hopping on wanting to play Splat Zones, then, have a 25% chance of it being the current mode of play. Gamers shouldn't be locked out of their favorite modes, so this system is also in need of a revamp in the upcoming title.
1 Poor Online Experience
It is typical of Nintendo to fail to provide a solid online experience, and Splatoon has been victim to this too. With the advent of Nintendo Switch Online memberships, all Splatoon players are paying to play online. As a result, not providing dedicated servers is a major misstep on Nintendo's part. Splatoon 3 has to move on from peer to peer servers.
If Nintendo wants to sustain the continued growth of the series, introducing dedicated servers is an important step in expanding both the game and the company's online capabilities.