Inside Splatoon 3’s art: shaping Splatsville and ink energy

A Splatoon 3 illustrator explains the challenges of turning the game’s Splatsville setting into dynamic art. Early sketches overemphasized action poses, making characters feel small and energy‑deficient, so the artist sought input from senior teammates and developers to adjust composition, perspective, and ink quality. Attention to small details—expressions, arm angles, hair silhouettes—and matching ink texture to a “thick yogurt” read helped maximize charm across game boxes, ads, videos, and events. The role, led by someone who has loved the series since student days, required iterating with the team to preserve dynamic movement while conveying a rougher, chaotic world. Work began about a year before launch, and positive global feedback confirmed the improvements; a follow‑up title, Splatoon Raiders, is in development for Nintendo Switch 2.