Salmon in the Summer

My name is Corey and I love Splatoon. Even when I’m not playing the game, Inklings somehow always find their way into my life. See below for evidence from a marathon—I wore that ridiculous squid hat for all 26.2 miles. Grueling as marathons can be, having folks on the sidelines yelling “Go Squid Man!” at each checkpoint has a funny way of keeping your motivation up. As part of the Treehouse Product Marketing team, I’ve had a blast supporting the Splatoon franchise since it was introduced at E3 2014, and I’m fortunate to assist again with Splatoon 2.

A shoal of squids getting ready to run.

Two months ago, we unveiled Salmon Run, a new four-player co-op mode in Splatoon 2 in which you work for this mysterious company called Grizzco Industries. At E3 this week, we shared a few more details during Nintendo Treehouse: Live at E3, but I’d like to elaborate a bit more about some Salmon Run specifics…

Concept illustration of Salmon Run.



Teaming up with friends, you literally take on a part-time job battling enemy salmon creatures called Salmonids. The rules are simple: defeat three waves of incoming Salmonids while collecting Golden Eggs dropped by bosses. If you fulfill the Golden Egg quota each round, you move on to the next wave. If you get splatted by an enemy, you’ll toss out a life preserver, which allows you to be revived if a teammate hits it with ink. Complete 3 waves and win! However, if all Inklings fall in battle, it’s game over.

Salmon Run is a part-time job—a raspy voice coming from this bear statue will remind you how to earn your paycheck!



There are two ways to play Salmon Run: local multiplayer and online.

Local multiplayer lets you play anytime, anywhere. When you don’t have enough players gathered locally to start a full 4v4 Turf War, Salmon Run is great option. Local multiplayer supports both ad hoc local wireless as well as wired LAN Play, assuming you have access to your own router, additional cables, LAN adapters, etc. When you beat all 3 waves on a specific difficulty level, the game suggests you try a harder difficulty. The highest selectable difficulty is 100% (Profreshional), but even seasoned Inklings will be surprised by the challenge dished out at a mere 5%.

Online play, on the other hand, is event-based and can only be enjoyed during times when Grizzco Industries is open for business. In the original Splatoon, Splatfests changed up the online gameplay cycle with a special event every few weeks. Salmon Run will similarly change up the cycle in Splatoon 2, and with greater frequency than Splatfests. To be clear though, Salmon Run will be an additional way to play online; it won’t remove the 4v4 modes from the rotation. In online Salmon Run, you can choose to be matched with friends or to be matched with random players online. You can also voice chat with friends while playing via the Nintendo Switch Online smart-device app. In addition, the rewards you earn in online play will vary from those earned in local play (more on rewards to share soon!).

Salmonids go kerSPLAT!

No matter which way you play, below are a few basics that will come in handy during each Salmon Run work shift:

1) Mobility is key. Ink as much ground as possible during the 10-second countdown before each wave begins to give yourself and your team more maneuverability. Sure, the Salmonids are just going to make a mess when they arrive, but nevertheless it really helps to be prepared.

2) Cooperate. You might say, “duh… This is a co-op mode.” But even when not using voice chat, you can communicate effectively using signals on the +Control Pad. This is great for when you get splatted and need to send a distress signal for help. You might also discover landmarks in the distance that make it easier to identify specific locations of the island to your team; this is useful when you’re really being rushed by enemies.

3) Always be collecting. When Golden Eggs drop from bosses, Salmonids will take them back into the water if you’re not quick enough. Don’t dawdle!

Get the eggs to the basket!

Ultimately, you’ll want to be ready for anything. Even on the same difficulty level, the types of enemies that show up can vary, the tide rises and falls unpredictably between waves, and sometimes strange occurrences on the island will throw a wrench into your plans for success.

The good news is that you’ll always be dressed for success, as the company-provided uniform is pretty sweet.

Safety first! The Grizzco Employee Uniform consists of rubber boots, rubber gloves, and a life preserver.



—Corey O.