Splatoon 3 is only a couple of days away from launching on the Switch, and many fans are excited to get into the inktastic multiplayer shooter madness. Some people were able to get an early taste of Splatoon 3 this past weekend, thanks to the Splatfest World Premiere demo. This was essentially an online server test for the game, offering fans the chance to hop into the first-ever Splatfest for the new sequel, and this time around it was a battle between Team Rock, Team Paper, and Team Scissors.
For those unfamiliar with Splatoon's big Splatfest events, they typically happen once a month or so and last for a weekend. Each Splatfest event makes players choose a team to support during the weekend, and based on player performance from each team (and a popularity vote), one team will come out on top at the end of it all. If a player's chosen team happens to win, they'll be offered special rewards.
While the demo Splatfest event only took place on a single day for a limited amount of time, it seems like a lot of fans had fun with it. Many enjoyed the changes being made to the sequel, like the inclusion of Tricolor Turf War battles, a lobby to practice with weapons, new stages, and new weapons types like the melee-focused Splatana.
Now that the event is over, there's no other way for people to play Splatoon 3 before launch, so there are still tons of folks playing Splatoon 2 in order to make the wait a little more bearable. Since gamers started hopping back into the 2017 Switch game following the Splatoon 3 demo, some fans are being greeted with a comedic message that seems to be poking fun at those who left to play the latest Splatfest and are back for the time being.
Welcome Home Cheaters
The message that has been popping up all over the Splatoon 2 lobby says, "Welcome home, cheaters," calling out those who came crawling back to the game after "cheating" on it with Splatoon 3. Obviously players aren't actually upset about people coming back to the previous entry - it's just a harmless joke to make fun of some members of the Splatoon community.
Once Splatoon 3 actually comes out, there are bound to be even more messages like this appearing in the lobby that makes fun of people who have abandoned Splatoon 2 in favor of the new game. While Splatoon 2's online servers are sure to stay live for some time, it'll be an unfortunate day for the players that have invested a lot of time once it becomes unplayable.
Splatoon's Social Features
Splatoon 2 has been out for over five years now, so some people have also been posting messages to the lobby looking back on the experiences they've had over the years. While playing these last few days, there have been posts saying goodbye to Splatoon 2, others about wanting to play Splatoon 3 already, and even some people that are counting down to its release. With Splatoon 3's Splatsville hub location having a similar image drawing/posting feature, there are sure to be even more creative and comedic messages to look at while walking around.
Splatoon 2 is available for the Nintendo Switch. Splatoon 3 releases September 9 for the Nintendo Switch.
