Splatoon 2‘s grand finale is upon us and as as we get ready to load up the dualies for one last Splatfest (with the future of Inkling society on the line) our attention is starting to turn to the future of the series and how Nintendo could possibly top the Switch’s premiere multiplayer shooter. While there’s still plenty of life left in Splatoon 2, and I’m sure we’ll be playing for quite some time still, there’s a certain finality with knowing that there will be no more major content updates or community events to drive engagement and bring the Splatoon-verse together which of course has us thinking about the future and how the inevitable Splatoon 3 could stand out from its two predecessors. So as we we prepare to do battle one last time, let’s talk about what we want to see in Splatoon 3!

In many ways, Splatoon 2 really was a perfect sequel to the Wii U original. It expanded on everything that made Splatoon such a surprise hit for Nintendo at a time when they were really looking for something to go their way thanks to its colorful world, love-able cast of characters and of course top-notch competitive gameplay. Splatoon 2 built on this foundation by refining the gameplay with new ink-lusions like the rapid-fire, high mobility dualies, new specials that added strategic depth to the battles, customizable control layouts so you could play the way you wanted to and a ton of other refinements that made the whole thing feel like a more complete and refined experience than the original. This helped not only deliver an early hit for the Switch (helping the system get off to a strong start) but established one of Nintendo’s most passionate and dedicated fandoms.

And that’s the first thing I want to see Splatoon 3 focus on – the community. Splatoon fans have shown time and time again how dedicated they are to sharing their love of the series whether it be in fan-art, community discussions, ability guides and esport help. This is rich, vibrant and engaged community that really outside of something like Super Smash Bros. Nintendo doesn’t see a lot of. So why not make the community the forefront of Splatoon 3? Expand the in game communication options to more than just up-voting the popular ones. Let us follow people, interact with them in game with dedicated messages and let us share our love for the series in new ways, such as sharing game replays, joining lobbies together (maybe even the hub world) and just make logging into Splatoon 3 feel like actually hanging out with friends, exactly the feeling Inkopolis Square is designed to give us.

Moving on from the multiplayer and social aspects for a second, let’s talk about what we want the single player to be in Splatoon 3. Similar to games like Overwatch and Apex: Legends, Splatoon has always told its story largely through background information with the facts being largely inferred rather than explicitly stated. And while that’s perfectly fine for a game that is supposed to be plyed online like 95% of the time, it was a bit disappointing to see Splatoon 2‘s single player campaign essentially be a rehash of the Wii U game. Let’s change that up and give us a story with a bit more meat to it, that actually explores the the reasons why the world is inhabited by Inklings and Octolings. Speaking of which…

I want to see the Octolings be the star of Splatoon 3. The Octo Expansion we got last year showed that there was so much more to these characters than we were led to believe from the story mode and I want to see even more of their world. Not only that but the Octoling expansion introduced us to a whole new side of the Splatoon universe that absolutely needs to be fleshed out and expanded on, both in story content and in how the levels are actually played. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the levels on offer in the Octo Expansion are leagues better than what is presented in the base game because, instead of constantly iterating on the same tired ideas, we got to play the game in whole new ways and with new tools, like weapons that were typically reserved for the multiplayer mode. Having a full game built around this structure would really help Splatoon 3 stand out and set its own path forward.

Standing out from the two previous games is going to be something that I think is very important for Splatoon 3 because, it’s very unlikely that it will be released for the Switch at this point but rather serve as an early (possibly even launch) game for the Switch’s successor. Being one of the game’s set to launch a new console is an important challenges for the developers as it means you can’t just rely on what worked before but need to convince people to also buy a several hundred dollar system while also getting your game. While the ideas I put in this article would definitely help make Splatoon 3 a stand out game I’m not sure it’s enough to have it fully stand on its own as something that will convince people to buy a console alongside it. For that it would need a big change, and I think what that is, is revisiting the core gameplay itself.

As it currently stands, Splatoon’s various gameplay modes are fairly fractured with some gameplay modes not being available for ranked multiplayer while others are exclusively playable in ranked. Then there’s Salmon Run which isn’t even available to play all the time which is just as confusing today as it was when the game launched. Nintendo would need to unify these various modes and options into a clean, efficient and easy to understand online suite where you can easily jump into whatever game type you want. But of course cleaning up menus alone wouldn’t be too exciting, which is why I propose a new gameplay style that could serve as the base of the whole game – battle royale. This genre has exploded in recent years to become one of the most popular for online games and Splatoon needs to get in on the action too. A full battle royale mode, with 50 kids/squids a side battle in a massive turf war would guarantee that Splatoon 3 stands out show the world that Nintendo is serious about online with their next console.

While it definitely feels like the end of something with the fact that no more official Splatfests will be held for Splatoon 2, the future of the series has never been so bright. Out of the shadow of the uncertain Wii U days, Nintendo has turned the series into something that is certified fresh and will be around for years to come. However, it’s often said that lightning doesn’t strike the same spot twice and in that sense, I feel like Nintendo has gotten really lucky with Splatoon as both the original and 2 share a lot in common (though Splatoon 2 definitely grew into a much better game). For Splatoon 3, I want to see Nintendo really innovate and take the series in new directions, really allowing us to feel as part of a bigger community, explore the background of the game world and, most of all, give us new ways to play.