Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass Getting Wave 1 Content Before Month Ends

It’s been a fun time to be a fan of Splatoon 3. The game was highly anticipated when it arrived on the Nintendo Switch last year and instantly made a splash. In Japan, it had one of the biggest launches ever within the country, selling millions in a few days. Fast forward to the latest earnings report, and we see that it’s passed 10 million units sold, an incredible number. Additionally, the Splatfests and Big Run events that have followed nearly every month have been incredibly fun for players to dive in and have fun with. But now there’s something new to enjoy, the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass.

As revealed during the Nintendo Direct last week, the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass will come in two parts, and you can purchase the Expansion Pass right now. But that’s where the twist comes in. During the Direct, they said that Wave 1 of the content would arrive “this Spring,” yet on Twitter, they revealed that Wave 1 of the Expansion Pass would come on February 28th.

The announcement will undoubtedly surprise many fans as they likely thought that March or April would be when Wave 1 would come out. One has to wonder why Nintendo didn’t merely say that the release date was “later this month” instead of “in the Spring.” Perhaps something changed behind the scenes? We don’t know.

As for what Wave 1 brings, it allows you to go within the game and head to Inkopolis, which was the setting for the first game in the franchise. The place will have gotten a visual upgrade from the Wii U to the Switch, and there are some small changes to notice. For example, there will be some new shopkeepers and new helpers to give you the boosts to your gear that you need.

The key thing to know is that everything you can do in Splatsville, you can do in Inkopolis. So think of it more as a “home base shift” than anything else. You won’t need to bounce back and forth to do things. You can do it all in one spot regardless of your choice.

That being said, the biggest difference for Wave 1 is that when you participate in a Splatfest, if you are in Inkopolis, you’ll hear Callie and Marie and not Deep Cut.

Wave 2 of the content doesn’t have a release date yet, but the “Side Order” will feature story content connected to the second game in the franchise.