Splatoon 3 is an active Nintendo Switch shooter with a durable Twitch viewership, receiving new weapons and merchandise in 2026. The game is connected to the upcoming spin-off Splatoon Raiders, which is set for a July 23 launch on Switch 2 and is getting a manga adaptation.
Splatoon 3 remains a live game well past its fourth anniversary. Nintendo added the PET Shooter Replica on August 14, a weapon that reproduces the PET Shooter from the spin-off Splatoon Raiders. Its performance matches the Splattershot Collab, with Splat Bomb as the sub and Triple Tornado as the special. Unlike other content, it is not tied to the Summer Nights festival; players who clear the main story of Splatoon Raiders and apply a future update can claim it from the lobby terminal anytime after implementation. The weapon links the main game to the spin-off, encouraging progress in both.
The tie-in runs both ways. Splatoon Raiders, a single-player spin-off, launches for the Switch 2 on July 23. The July issue of Shogakukan's Coro Coro Comics magazine announced a manga adaptation for its next issue on July 15, with Sankichi Hinodeya, the writer and artist of the Splatoon and Splatoon 3: Splatlands manga, handling the new series. Meanwhile, Splatoon 3 itself has drawn Twitch viewership comparable to long-running PC titles like League of Legends and Counter-Strike 2, a surge linked to community tournaments and in-game events ahead of the Raiders release.
On the merchandise side, Bandai Spirits revealed the third Splatoon 3 Ichiban Kuji, launching August 22 at Seven-Eleven, Ito-Yokado, and Nintendo TOKYO/OSAKA/KYOTO/FUKUOKA. The lottery, a no-loser prize draw at 750 yen, turns core game elements into goods: an ink-shooting Splattershot light as the A prize, a 50 cm Squid Bunker plush as the B prize, and an 80 cm version in the Double Chance Campaign. Other prizes include a Gachi Hoko tote bag and a Salmon Run gold egg laundry net. The Last One Prize is a Smallfry donburi bowl.
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BANDAI SPIRITS revealed the full lineup for Ichiban Kuji Splatoon 3 Volume 3, launching August 22 at Seven-Eleven, Ito-Yokado, and Nintendo TOKYO/OSAKA/KYOTO/FUKUOKA. The A prize is a Splattershot Light that shines ink-shaped beams in the dark, with a 50 cm Squid Bunker plush as B prize and an 80 cm version in the Double Chance Campaign. Draws cost 750 yen.
Bandai Spirits will release Ichiban Kuji Splatoon 3 Volume 3 from August 22, 2026, at Seven-Eleven, Ito Yokado, Nintendo TOKYO/OSAKA/KYOTO/FUKUOKA, and other stores. The lottery's A-Prize is a Splat Shooter light that projects an ink-shaped beam, while the B-Prize is a 50cm Squid Bunker plush. The Last One Prize is a Smallfry donburi bowl, and a Double Chance Campaign offers an 80cm Big Squid Bunker.
Bandai Spirits revealed the full lineup for Ichiban Kuji Splatoon 3 Third Wave, a no-loser prize lottery themed on the Nintendo shooter. Prizes include an ink-shooting Splattershot light, a 50cm Inkling cushion, a Gachi Hoko tote bag, a Salmon Run gold egg laundry net, and more. The lottery launches August 22, 2026, at 750 yen per draw.
Nintendo announced on August 14 that a new weapon, the PET Shooter Replica, will be added to Splatoon 3 for the Nintendo Switch. The weapon reproduces the PET Shooter that appears in the spin-off title Splatoon Raiders. Its performance matches the Splattershot Collab, with the Splat Bomb as the sub weapon and Triple Tornado as the special weapon. The PET Shooter Replica is scheduled to be implemented ahead of the Summer Nights festival, which runs from August 22 to August 24. To obtain it, players must apply a future update and have save data that has cleared the main story of Splatoon Raiders. The weapon is not tied to the festival, so players who meet the save data condition can receive it from the lobby terminal at any time after implementation. The announcement also noted that gear distributed during past Summer Nights events remains available through the in-game news feature, the Squid Research Lab, by launching Splatoon 3 from the relevant news articles.
The July issue of Shogakukan's Coro Coro Comics magazine announced that Splatoon Raiders, a new single-player spinoff game in the Splatoon series, will receive a manga in the magazine's next issue on July 15. Sankichi Hinodeya, the writer and artist of the Splatoon and Splatoon 3: Splatlands manga, will also work on this manga. The game launches for the Switch 2 on July 23.
Nintendo's Splatoon 3, approaching its fourth anniversary, has seen a sharp rise in Twitch viewership, placing it alongside long-running hits like League of Legends and Counter-Strike 2. The surge is linked to upcoming community tournaments and in-game events leading to the July release of Splatoon Raiders on Nintendo Switch 2.