Highlights
- Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle and Dime maps in Splatoon 3 are getting reworked during Sizzle Season 2024.
- Seasonal updates in Splatoon 3 have sparked debate among fans, with some enjoying the format and others feeling content drip-fed.
- Speculation arises about the future of Splatoon 3 updates, possibly influenced by the launch of Nintendo's Switch 2 console.
Splatoon 3 has revealed that Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle and Dime will be temporarily shut down in order to rework the maps. This change is coming alongside some major content additions with the Sizzle Season 2024 rotation.
Starting in Splatoon 3, the series shifted to a seasonal update format, whereas previously updates would often be announced at random. This has led to some contention among the fans, as some enjoy the seasonal format, while others argue that it's led to a drip-feed of content, with claims that the game can feel stale towards the end of a season. Whether a fan or not of the seasonal update cycle, two maps are getting a rework that may help to freshen up the game.
Splatoon 3 Splatfest Results Break a Long-Running Trend
In the wake of the May 2024 Splatfest, Splatoon 3 reveals that players managed to break a long-standing streak that persisted for over a year.
Splatoon 3's Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle and Dime maps will be removed from the game's rotation starting on May 30 at 5pm PT, and will be restored to the rotation starting on May 31 at the same time. Nintendo has released an image for each of the maps teasing the changes that are to come.
Barnacle and Dime appears to have had its center obstacle shifted and some platforms on either team's side look to have been made inkable, which may help to provide a side route to the center of the map. However, with a sole screenshot to go off of, chances are there are some changes that have yet to be revealed or fully detailed. Hammerhead Bridge, on the other hand, hasn't shared a screenshot of the map, but rather a service announcement with portions of a blueprint of the bridge highlighted in varying colors to show where the changes will be made.
Splatoon 3's Sizzle Season 2024
Fans of Splatoon 3 are eagerly awaiting Sizzle Season 2024, which will be adding new weapons, a new stage, and a different form of Big Run, among other things. The refreshed content is welcomed by the community, but has also left fans wondering if it's the end of the line for content updates to the title. Splatoon 3 initially promised two years of support, which aligns with the release of this update. However, Nintendo hasn't said one way or another if this is the end.
While ending support for Splatoon 3 may have been the initial plan, there's a chance that Nintendo's Switch 2 launch could change that. Rumors heavily indicate that the Switch 2 will be compatible with current Switch games, which could mean extending Splatoon 3's updates rather than moving on to Splatoon 4. The future of the ink-based shooter series remains to be seen, but fans can likely expect to hear more about Nintendo's overall plans during the summer and winter game announcement cycles.
Splatoon 3
The third installment of Nintendo's popular paint-style ink-slinging third-person shooter. Splatoon 3 gives players a whole new world to explore with an interesting singleplayer mode and all the multiplayer madness that players have come to know and love from the series.
