For the most part, I don’t have a dog in the hut when it comes toSplatoon 3Splatfests. I mean sure, sometimesit might be important for Ganondorf to beat out Link and Zelda(he has real edgy Venom/Shadow energy that should be celebrated) when I have nothing better to do that week. But the results for this particular Splatfest are too spicy not to share.
According to a tweet from Nintendo over the weekend, Money beat out Fame and Love to take the golden crown. There’s something utterly terrifying about seeing the phrase “Money Wins!” popping up in a cute little paintball game featuring squid kids. At least it wasn’t a blowout! As a reader has pointed out Love has won twice in the past in the wholesomeSplatoon-verse: but money winning (in any context) isn’t surprising.
The Splatoon 3#Splatfestresults are in, and the winner is Team Money!
Congratulations to Team Money, and remember—we’re ALL winners when it comes to Super Sea Snails. Don’t forget to pick yours up if you participated!pic.twitter.com/rU3ZqEbqpl
— Splatoon North America (@SplatoonNA)May 31, 2025
How is Splatoon 3 as 2023 rolls on?
Well, it’s steady.
I don’t think anyone expected Epic Games/Fortnite-level support for this third iteration, but things have slowed down considerably after Nintendo announced the Inkpolis DLC roughly five months after launch. Until that pointSplatoon 3was sitting pretty, riding on the wave of ranked play, Salmon Run, and Tableturf Battle. At launch,Splatoon 3had a decent spread of modes that kept people playing throughout the holiday season, bolstered by the aforementioned Splatfest events. Afterward, the cracks began to show a bit, which Nintendo has addressed somewhat with quality-of-life patches.A bonafide tournament system is also on the way, as isa second campaign-focused DLCcalled Side Order.
What will Splatoon 4 bring to the table? (Update)
It’ll be interesting to see how Nintendo handles a potentialSplatoon 4.It feels like (creatively at least) they need to go the spinoff route at this point, as they’ve likely squeezed all the juice they can out of the basic format introduced inSplatoon 1all the way back in 2015. But as this recent Splatfest reveals, money talks!
Sales-wiseSplatoon 3is holding incredibly strong, so maybe we’ll get another iteration with a new campaign and city, on top of a new mode that backs up Salmon Run and Tableturf. Either way, I’m sure the fans will be satisfied.Splatoonhas carved a nice little profitable niche out for itself, and has cemented itself as one of Nintendo’s premiere franchises.
