For those of you who have been playing Splatoon 3 since its launch in 2022, you likely had an emotional weekend thanks to the Grand Festival. It was to be the final Splatfest for the game, and it lived up to the hype in various ways. First and foremost, Nintendo overhauled the game for this final event so that players could experience a massive concert venue featuring the Squid Sisters, Off The Hook, and Deep Cut. Then, there was the Splatfest itself, where gamers fought over the topic of “Past vs. Present vs. Future.” In the end, there could be only one winner, and at the end of the 4-day event, the winner was…
The past! Yes, the past and the Squid Sisters won the Grand Festival, which is shocking in more ways than one. First and foremost, when you look at the scores for the event, you’ll notice that the past team won not just handily; they pretty much dominated the event. They won so thoroughly that “Team Future” didn’t get a single point! While we can’t recall if that’s ever happened before in Splatfest history, it is certainly a rarity.
Just as important, it highlights the love for the Squid Sisters over Off The Hook and Deep Cut. The newest group not getting any points is shocking due to not only how fans have positively responded to the group over the life of Splatoon 3, but they’ve also been who players have seen for the last two years! Then again, the Squid Sisters have been in the series since day one and have been a part of all three games, including all three story campaigns! So, that likely paints a picture of why many sided with them over everyone else. Just saying.
As for the future, Nintendo has already confirmed that there won’t be any more updates for the game following the Grand Festival. It’s sad, but it was also expected. We all knew it had to end, and this was the right time to end it. Plus, now that “Team Past” won, we can now start thinking about how it, and the Squid Sisters, will be factored into the 4th title when it inevitably drops on the Switch 2!
However, if you want to go on one last “trip through time,” check out the video below; it recaps every Splatfest from the third title and reminds you of each winner while Deep Cut sings you through it. It’s a nice way to remind yourself of how far we’ve come with the game.
