Splatoon was supposed to die quickly; it should have fizzled out after Nintendo shut down 3DS and Wii U servers on April 8. But one brave player has managed to keep Splatoon-ing two months post-mortem while Nintendo starts removing features from the sequel.
Defying Nintendo is no easy feat, but I guess being a huge Splatoon fan makes some people up for the challenge. Lcd101, the self-proclaimed "final Splatoon 1 player," has now lasted over two months on the nonfunctional server.
They post daily updates in a captain's log on Twitter. It seems that life in the barren, Book of Revelation Inkopolis has become so boring, Lcd101 has taken to reminiscing about better Splatoon days.
- After shutting down the Wii U online services last year, Nintendo asks players not to use "unauthorized services" to replace them as they might pose "security risks"
- Wii U online replacement Pretendo says "we are committed to user safety" as Nintendo warns against using third-party alternatives to its dead servers
Their most recent log from June 10 celebrates "day 63 on the Nintendo Network!" with a reminder that "ten years ago today, Splatoon was officially revealed to the world at E3 2014. For ten years, we’ve been living in a more creative, colorful world."
As Lcd101 basks in their nostalgia, Nintendo is seemingly working on dismantling Splatoon 2, its 2017 third-person shooter for Switch. The developer noted in its customer support center that Splatoon 2 has lost access to Twitter (or X, or whatever) integration and social media integration for its friends list.
In addition, players will no longer be able to post directly to Twitter or Facebook from Splatoon 3. These changes presumably come, in part, from Twitter/X's decision to monetize their third-party API.
But fans have started to lament the fact that "Splatoon 2 is slowly dying" as players flock to Splatoon 3, which released in 2022.
"I'm afraid Splatoon 2 died the minute Splatoon 3 came out," one Reddit commenter said. "Could since never get into a single ranked match."
Splatoon update account OatmealDome also notes that, after 2's posting features were removed, "all players in the Square are now Nintendo-made presets, like the Miiverse shutdown in Splatoon 1." Splatoon 2's future looks dark. You should try playing Splatoon 1 instead.
Or try one of the 25 best shooters to play right now.
