In a new Ask the Developer interview, Splatoon Raiders producer Seita Inoue discusses the future of the franchise and seemingly confirms a Splatoon 4. To this point, the Splatoon series has been Nintendo’s take on an online shooter. Unlike some of the other popular and more realistic franchises like Call of Duty or Battlefield, Splatoon utilizes paint as its main hook, letting player characters turn into Inklings or Octolings to dive under the surface to recharge their weapons, avoid danger, or move quickly around the map.
While each of the mainline entries featured single-player content, its main hook centered on the multiplayer side, either through Turf Wars or the cooperative Salmon Run mode introduced in Splatoon 2. However, the focus has largely changed with the launch of Splatoon Raiders, an offshoot of the traditional mainline games to focus more on a primarily single player experience. While Splatoon Raiders does have a cooperative option, it has stripped away competitive multiplayer entirely, making it the first story-focused game in the franchise. Despite Splatoon Raiders trying something new, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten those who prefer the multiplayer experience of the previous games.
Nintendo Seemingly Confirms Splatoon 4
In a recent Ask the Developer interview, Splatoon Raiders producer Seita Inoue was asked why the team decided to work on a spin-off rather than a new mainline entry in the series. While Inoue confirmed that the team has essentially been “full speed ahead” for 11 years on 3 games, they found it intriguing and interesting to try something a bit different, with gameplay that allows players to “really savor the action” on their own. However, he quickly clarified that they will continue to develop competitive gameplay going forward, which is part of the reason why Splatoon Raiders is considered a spin-off and not “Splatoon 4.”
That said, we will continue to develop competitive gameplay going forward. That’s why we developed this game as a spin-off and not as ‘Splatoon 4′.
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Obviously, Inoue didn’t outright confirm a Splatoon 4, but his comments make it pretty clear that just because the team created a single-player-focused game, they haven’t forgotten about competitive play. Based on his statement, fans should expect to see a proper mainline entry in the future, especially as the Splatoon franchise continues to grow. It’s no secret that the franchise has continued its upward trend in popularity as Splatoon 3 managed to sell over 3 million copies in its first 3 days, eventually reaching nearly 12 million over its lifespan.
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
Part of the motivation for developing Splatoon Raiders was to not only create a new entry point for players, but potentially open the door to the franchise to continue growing and expanding the player base. Splatoon Raiders could be the entry point for those unfamiliar with the franchise as a whole, or perhaps those who may not be into multiplayer. As such, it may be a good stepping stone to get players into the mainline games, especially if/when a true Splatoon 4 is announced.
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Although the Splatoon Raiders reveal was a surprise to most, it seems many have embraced the new angle for the upcoming game. Nintendo has done plenty of marketing for the game as well, featuring it in its own dedicated Nintendo Direct, showcasing it in the NIntendo Treehouse live gameplay, while also announcing special JoyCon controller colors to launch alongside the game on July 23, 2026. With how popular the series is, it’ll be interesting to see how well this spin-off does.
- Released
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July 23, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo