Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update introduces new villagers and items unlocked via amiibo, including characters from Zelda and Splatoon series, with flexible scanning options and additional rewards, launching on January 15th.
Nintendo announced the full list of Zelda and Splatoon amiibo that unlock new villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the upcoming 3.0.0 update and Switch 2 Edition, releasing on January 15, 2026, featuring characters like Tulin, Mineru, Cece, and Viche.
Nintendo is offering limited-time icon elements inspired by Splatoon games that can be redeemed with My Nintendo Platinum Points during specific waves from October 16 to November 13, encouraging users to update their user icons.
Nintendo announced a new Splatoon spinoff called Splatoon Raiders for Switch 2, set in the Spirhalite Islands, and revealed a major free update for Splatoon 3 on June 12th, featuring new weapons, classic maps, and enhanced visuals for Switch 2 compatibility.
Nintendo is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Splatoon with various festivities including a music update featuring 47 tracks, new user icons for Nintendo Switch Online, and a free downloadable wallpaper showcasing artwork from the series.
Following the shutdown of Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS servers, one dedicated Splatoon player remains active on the Wii U, playing through an emulator on a Steam Deck. Despite feeling lonely, the player continues to post map rotations and has no intention of logging off, even though the servers have officially closed. Other players have also expressed their determination to keep playing, with one advising against resetting the Wii U as the game servers are still active for many.
Nintendo has shut down online services for 3DS and Wii U, but fans have managed to keep their favorite games online by leaving their systems on, defying the planned shutdown. The Splatoon community rallied together to keep the game alive, while 3DS Pokemon players also found themselves inexplicably managing to complete online trades for hours longer than expected. Despite some players being forcibly removed, the community's determination to hang on until the very end is evident, although all good things must eventually come to an end. Online functionality is still available on Nintendo Switch.
As the online servers for Wii U and 3DS are set to be taken down next week, the final stage rotations for Splatoon on the Wii U have been revealed, with Bluefin Depot and Moray Towers featuring in the last Turf War battles, and Ranked Battles ending with a Rainmaker contest in Walleye Warehouse and Kelp Dome. These rotations were revealed by Twitter user @OatmealDome, who has access to the upcoming month's rotations. After 8th April, these stages will no longer be accessible or playable.
IGN's review in progress of Foamstars describes it as a fun competitive shooter with a strong foundation and creative twists, reminiscent of Splatoon, but surrounded by red flags such as bad voice performances, expensive cosmetic packs, and multiplayer restrictions. The game features unique foam mechanics and diverse characters, but its reliance on outdated multiplayer structure and frustrating monetization practices raise concerns. Despite these issues, the reviewer is looking forward to diving back into the fun competitive shooter after further exploration of its modes.
Nintendo will stream pre-recorded videos of the previously planned Legend of Zelda and Splatoon live concerts, which were originally intended for the cancelled 2024 Nintendo Live event due to safety concerns. The Legend of Zelda Orchestra Concert will be available for streaming on February 9th, followed by the Splatoon 3 Deep Cut concert on February 10th. Both broadcasts will begin at 8pm Japan time. Additionally, merchandise intended for the event will be sold on the Japanese My Nintendo Store.
Square Enix's upcoming game Foamstars is being compared to Splatoon, but producer Kosuke Okatani insists they are "completely different games" despite surface similarities. The game, set to launch on February 6 exclusively for PlayStation 4 and 5, has received backlash for using AI-generated art, created with the controversial AI tool Midjourney, for in-game album covers. This move comes as Square Enix aims to aggressively apply AI and other cutting-edge technologies to its content development and publishing functions.
Square Enix's upcoming online shooter, Foamstars, has been compared to Nintendo's Splatoon, but the producer insists it's a unique game. The game's success will depend on building a strong player base, and Square Enix plans to launch it as a free game for one month on PS Plus to rapidly build a community. The company hopes this strategy will help differentiate Foamstars and attract players beyond the initial launch.
The Splatoon tournament and Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo event have been delayed and canceled respectively due to threats targeting Nintendo's employees, tournament staff, and spectators.
Nintendo has cancelled the Nintendo Live Tokyo 2024 event and postponed a Splatoon esports event due to safety concerns following threats to staff and visitors. The exact nature of the threats has not been disclosed, but Nintendo stated that they had received persistent threats targeting their employees, which had also spread to spectators at the upcoming Splatoon event.
Nintendo Japan has cancelled the Splatoon Koshien 2023 National Finals and Nintendo Live 2024 events due to safety concerns following threats targeting employees, attendees, and event staff. The company cited an inability to ensure customer safety as the reason for the cancellation. The Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Online Challenge Final Stage, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024, which were scheduled to take place at Nintendo Live 2024, have been postponed. Nintendo will announce a new schedule for the tournaments at a later date.