A spectator mode, which allows a third party to view the game from the perspective of any of the players, would greatly increase the quality of streams on websites such as www.Twitch.tv, which would in turn attract many new players to the game. If someone were to host a tournament, a spectator mode would be necessary for viewers to have a quality viewing experience. Also, it would allow people to watch their friends play without themselves having to play. Inspiration could be taken from other shooters which have excellent spectator modes, such as Team Fortress 2 or Counterstrike: Global Offensive.

LAN capability would allow people to host local tournaments much more easily. As of now, the consoles at a local tournament would have to connect to and play through the internet. A venue would need superb internet capabilities to handle eight consoles, and bigger tournaments would need to have even more consoles than that. With LAN capability, tournament organizers would not have to worry about a venue’s internet capabilities, and significantly more local tournaments would be able to be held, attracting more new players to the game.

These two changes would drastically improve Splatoon’s ability to be a competitive game, which in turn will drive new players and provide a lasting playerbase. We ask Nintendo to add them because we love the game and want to see it flourish.