One of the most popular games on the Wii U was Splatoon, a family-friendly third-person shooter, where you control a squid humanoid in both single-player quests and four-on-four online battles. When the Nintendo Switch was first shown off late last year, we saw an arena filled with eSports fans cheering on a Splatoon battle. At the time, we did not know what that represented, but we have recently discovered much more.
Splatoon 2 is scheduled to launch this summer on Nintendo Switch, and among the new features is a LAN mode. This means that you do not need an internet connection to play Splatoon 2 with other players right around you. For instance, if you and seven other friends want to play some private matches, you can connect directly to each other.
In addition to the LAN mode for private matches, Nintendo also announced there will be a Spectator mode for up to two other Nintendo Switches to connect and watch the private session. While this might not initially sound exciting for most gamers, it will as soon as you consider its impact on the competitive and/or streaming scene. At a live event, instead of switching from one console to another on a big screen, a third-party spectator can view the entire game. If an event is online, that one spectating Switch can be streamed, instead of trying to stream them all at once.
If you find yourself playing online, you will probably be pleased to hear that the Nintendo Switch smartphone app will allow you to schedule games and chat with your friends during battles. Chat, in particular, was something that many Splatoon players wanted, as it was difficult to plan your attack when you could not communicate.
If you are purchasing a Nintendo Switch at launch or soon after, you can participate in up to six Global Testfire sessions on March 24, 25, and 26. As with the Testfire session on Wii U, you can play by simply downloading the software from the eShop and logging in during the given timeframe. Only four of the weapons will be available, though. You can choose from the new Splat Dualies, the remixed version of the Splat Roller, the Splat Charger, and one other they have not announced yet.
Are you looking forward to Splatoon 2? What do you think of the Private LAN and Spectator modes? Will Splatoon 2 make its way into the competitive eSports scene with additions like this? Are you excited about voice-chat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Steve is the Senior Editor of NintendoFuse and co-host of the NintendoFuse Podcast. He’s been a Nintendo gamer since age 6 and has been on staff with NintendoFuse since 2008.