Splatoon 3 fans have spent months waiting with bated breath for a release date, and now it's finally here. Nintendo surprised fans with a trailer showing off a classic round of Turf War, giving fans a great look at PvP, before announcing a September 2022 release date for the game. Splatoon 3 will arrive later in the summer than fans might have hoped, but it's still great to have the launch nailed down. The release date and gunplay isn't all that Splatoon 3's new trailer hinted at, though. Players may have noticed the player characters wearing a variety of nameplates in the Turf War's finishing screens.
Nameplates are a common customization feature in PvP games that gives players some extra in-game personality, and Nintendo has certainly shown some interest in them, since Nintendo Switch Sports' online multiplayer has its own nameplate system. Still, this Splatoon 3 feature is great news, since hopefully it means Splatoon 3 will broaden character customization in other ways. Fans have already seen some solid new options in the character creator of Splatoon 3, but Nintendo could take customization in some entirely new directions. Nothing is confirmed yet, but nameplates could be the gateway to other malleable details.
Possible Customization in Splatoon 3
If there's any department of Splatoon that should gain customization, it's the weapons. Splatoon has dabbled lightly in customization in Splatoon 2's story mode, where the Ammo Knights Enhancifier could upgrade the player's weapons and change their appearance in the process, but the Enhancifier's purpose prioritized function over form. Splatoon 3 would be a great opportunity to let fans tweak the appearance of their weapons, adding decorative attachments and special color schemes to their favorite gear. Splatoon's third-person shooting may not let fans get a close-up look at their gear, but it would still help players stand out in Splatoon 3 victory screens.
In a similar vein, Splatoon 3 would be a great opportunity to add a range of clothing customization options to the franchise. Players have had some mechanical control over their character's gear thanks to ability slots, but Splatoon 3 ought to give players means to fully customize the appearance of their characters' clothes. Nintendo has created clothing customization before; the Animal Crossing franchise has famously featured this for quite some time. Splatoon's colorful, highly distinct aesthetic is the perfect source of inspiration for a highly detailed clothing customization system, allowing players to design their own clothes from scratch using Splatoon-themed elements.
Splatoon's Customization Progress
None of these features are confirmed, of course, but even if Nintendo announces nothing like these features, Splatoon 3 has already made major leaps forward in terms of customization. Nameplates are a fun addition to multiplayer, while the removal of gender lines from Splatoon's character creator allows fans more flexibility and freedom to express themselves. Hopefully these Splatoon 3 improvements will become the new standard of the franchise while signalling a permanent steady progressing towards more and more detailed character creators as the Splatoon series goes on.
Still, it would be nice to see Splatoon add customization systems in entirely new departments from the previous games. Innovating in the character creator is great, but wholly new customization departments would be even more meaningful. Even if Splatoon 3 doesn't launch with weapon or clothing customization, fans may still see such features arrive someday. Nintendo is very enthusiastic about DLC nowadays, meaning it could very well decide to add other customization tools in a Splatoon 3 expansion. After all, Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion gave players the power to play as Octolings, so it wouldn't be so strange if another Splatoon DLC added player options. Maybe Nintendo will shed more light on player options in Splatoon 3 over the summer.
Splatoon 3 releases September 9, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
