Splatoon 3 has some fancy new artwork just in time for Christmas

Splatoon 3
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Splatoon 3 is celebrating the holiday season with some brand new art.

Just below, you can check out the brand new artwork from the Splatoon 3 development team at Nintendo, which emerged via Twitter earlier today on December 21. The new artwork displays Callie and Marie, who seasoned Splatoon players will no doubt recognise from the past two games, as well as the player character.

The player character seen above is once again going by the "Agent 3" codename in Splatoon 3. For the unaware, Agent 3 is the moniker given to the player character by both Callie and Marie for the past two games, as well as the ultra-hard single-player Octo Expansion DLC for Splatoon 2. The Agent 3 from past Splatoon games is actually returning in the sequel, but this time they're working alongside the player character following Cuttlefish's retirement.

We've seen precious little of Splatoon 3 so far, since the sequel was first unveiled by Nintendo earlier this year. The debut trailer for the new game revealed a ruined world, complete with the Eiffel Tower upside down, as the sequel moves to the new in-game Splatlands locale, where Inklings and Octolings alike exist. The Octarians are also back in force, with some icky-looking mutations to boot.

Right now, Splatoon 3 is expected to launch at some point next year in 2022. Considering the original game launched in 2015 on the Wii U, and Splatoon 2 arrived two years later in 2017, the wait for Splatoon 3 has been a bit of a prolonged one, but there's no doubt it'll be worth the wait if it's anything like the series' excellent past.

Check out our guide to the upcoming Switch games for a full look at everything else Nintendo has in store over the next year or so.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Splatoon
New Nintendo patent implies veteran Splatoon developers are behind that mystery Minecraft-like game playtested last year
A screenshot from Super Mario Odyssey showing Mario throwing Cappy in New Donk City.
As Nintendo remains quiet on Switch 2 lineup, retailer lists "New 3D Mario" and "Legend of Zelda Remake/Remaster" under 2025 games
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond screenshots showing Samus crouched in an action pose next to a Big in 2025 logo
23 years later, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is set to revitalize the bounty hunter on Switch, just as the original did on GameCube
Upcoming Switch games header image featuring Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Upcoming Switch games for 2025 and beyond
A screenshot from the reveal trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2, showing the console playing a Mario Kart game.
Mario Kart 9 appears to take the Switch 2 back in time, swapping out Princess Peach’s sleek racing suit for the outfit she wore when she debuted in the kart racing series
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong developer teases us with a bunch of cryptic Nintendo Switch 2 clues including a cake, Imagine Dragons, and some Australian wine
Latest in Splatoon
Splatoon
New Nintendo patent implies veteran Splatoon developers are behind that mystery Minecraft-like game playtested last year
Splatoon 3
As Splatoon 3 says goodbye to regular updates, fans think they've already uncovered the future of the Nintendo series
Splatoon 3
Nintendo revokes Splatoon 3 World Championship win following racist remarks from some winners: "The team will not receive trophies"
Splatoon 3
Recovering from the first game's shutdown, Splatoon 3 fans wonder how the latest and "biggest" Splatfest will shape an inevitable Splatoon 4
An Inkling looking shocked as she stares at the Smash Bros. logo in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer.
Defying Nintendo, just two players remain on the 3DS and Wii U's dead servers after the last Splatoon player's 68-day streak ends
An Inkling looking shocked as she stares at the Smash Bros. logo in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer.
The last Splatoon player still standing after Nintendo's Wii U shutdown is now trapped in map purgatory for the next ten years
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even if he's not involved himself
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game