Nintendo has indicated that Splatoon 4 is likely on the horizon, following comments from the development team regarding the future of the series. While the company has not issued a formal announcement, producer Seita Inoue addressed the status of the franchise in a recent 'Ask the Developer' interview.
The discussion centered on the release of Splatoon Raiders, a spin-off title launching this week on the Nintendo Switch 2. Addressing why the team opted for a spin-off rather than the next mainline entry, Inoue explained that the studio wanted to explore non-competitive elements like the game's single-player story and cooperative Salmon Run modes as a standalone experience.
Future of Competitive Splatoon
Inoue was explicit about the studio's ongoing commitment to the core competitive format that has defined the series. 'That said, we will continue to develop competitive gameplay going forward,' Inoue stated. 'That's why we developed this game as a spin-off and not as Splatoon 4.'
The franchise has maintained significant momentum since its inception. Splatoon 3 reached nearly 12 million units sold over its lifetime, with 3 million units sold within its first three days on the market.
Source Reliability
This report is based on an official 'Ask the Developer' interview published by Nintendo. We rate the reliability of this information as 5/5 stars, as it comes directly from the game's production leadership regarding their development roadmap.