Games likeKirby and the Forgotten Landhave made early 2022 a strong period for Nintendo. Even more is on the horizon with games likeNintendo Switch Sports,Pokemon ScarletandViolet, andXenoblade Chronicles 3- which moved its release date up to July. A number of releases are scheduled for the summer, from Koei Tecmo’sFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopesto the Sunbreak expansion for Capcom’sMonster Hunter Rise, and Switch owners can also sink their teeth intoSplatoon 3.
TheSeptember 9 release date forSplatoon 3was unveiledFriday with a trailer featuring its returning Turf Wars - utilizing a handful of new weapons and abilities coming in this third installment. However, another surprise announcement dropped alongside this; Nintendo confirmedSplatoon 2’s Octo Expansion DLC is joiningAnimal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise andMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass as a benefit for subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass. This incentive for the more expensive subscription tier could set a pattern for numerous games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildto follow.
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Why NSO Access to Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion is a Big Deal
Despite launching in 2015 as asystem-seller for the underperforming Wii U,Splatoonestablished a brand that has become one of the most popular among Nintendo’s lineup - especially in Japan.Splatoon 2followed shortly thereafter in 2017, and while the Switch’s stronger sales numbers gave it more of a leg-up, many felt the base experience wasn’t too different from its predecessor. Octo Expansion had a much stronger impact.
Rather than following another Inkling who joins the ranks of Cap’n Cuttlefish’s New Squidbeak Splatoon, Octo Expansion gives players control overAgent 8: an Octoling who served the antagonistic Octarian armybefore having their heart changed by Callie and Marie’s “Calamari Inkantation” at the end of the originalSplatoon. They wake up in a mysterious metro station alongside Cap’n Cuttlefish and are recruited to help him escape, taking on a series of difficult test levels for a mysterious benefactor.
The $20 buy-in for Octo Expansion may have been steep for those who weren’t impressed by the $60 base game, so there’s undoubtedly people to take advantage of Octo Expansion joining Switch Online’s Expansion Pack. As this benefit requires players to own the originalSplatoon 2, it also means there may be new Switch owners looking to catch up on the story beforeSplatoon 3drops. Given Octo Expansion ends with heightened stakes that could inform its sequel’s Rise of the Mammalians campaign, Nintendo was smart to make the DLC more available.
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Some will undoubtedly complain about having spent the $20 in 2018 before Octo Expansion’s free release throughNintendo Switch Online, and there is merit to the question of what extra benefits early adopters could expect for their brand loyalty. However, this shouldn’t stop Nintendo from extending the program to numerous DLC expansions as preparation for future releases.
Zeldaisn’t the only franchise that may benefit from aSplatoon-style DLC tie-in. IfFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopesincludes the Ashen Wolves,Fire Emblem: Three Houses' Cindered Shadows DLC may be beneficial context.Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s The Golden Country DLC is in a similar position given the third game will combine plot elements from both its predecessors. Ultimately, this would also bolster the Nintendo Switch Online service, helping to justify Expansion Pack’s price tag as more DLC packs for current and future games are added.
Splatoon 3releases July 09, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
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