When Splatoon 3 launched in 2022, it had some big shoes to fill, as the first two entries in the beloved Nintendo franchise had not only done well, they helped redefine the multiplayer experience, especially for Nintendo titles! Thankfully, it lived up to the hype and more! The game delivered numerous memorable moments while also delivering some fun twists to the formula and adding even more weapons and strategies for players to partake in! If our tone makes it sound like something bad is happening, it’s not; we’re merely reaching the point in the game’s life where updates are going to stop.
While it’s still not official yet, Splatoon 3 is prepping for its “Grand Festival,” which many think will be the game’s final Splatfest. It’s sad to think about. However, it was inevitable that we would get here, and the past titles also had a two-year lifecycle of “fresh” content to keep players coming back.
Unsurprisingly, the Grand Festival is going big not only with its theme but also with some of the rewards that you’ll get if you play the Splatfest for a long time. A special Twitter post from Big Man of Deep Cut went up yesterday, and he revealed that those who get to the “Ruler” rank in the Splatfest will get to take the stage with the idol group and take pictures!
Previously, you only got to be on the stage of the Splatfest event and take pictures, with those who won certain battles getting to enjoy some time with Deep Cut or the other idol groups. Here, they’re making it more open to other players, which is something we can all appreciate. However, for those who do go “above and beyond” in their ranks, you can do this AND get special poses, so there’s still motivation to go all out.
The final Splatfest drops next month, which means we could get more messages like this from Deep Cut or the team at Squid Research Laboratories.
We know that the Splatfest theme is about “Past, Present, and Future,” meaning that whoever “wins” the event will affect the next entry in the series in a dramatic way. When the first “final Splatfest” happened between “Team Callie and Team Marie,” Marie was taken prisoner by DJ Octavio after winning, setting up the main campaign for the second title. Then, when “Team Order vs. Team Chaos” happened in the second title, the “Chaotic victory” led to the arrival of the Splatlands and the order-filled madness that was the expansion DLC.
How will this final Splatfest affect the fourth game? Only time will tell.