Skip to main content

Nintendo taking competitive gaming seriously, brings spectator mode to 'Splatoon 2'

During the Switch reveal trailer, Nintendo showed off an arena with thousands of screaming Splatoon fans, and it seems that the gaming company wants to make this a reality. Nintendo has announced that spectator mode will be coming to Splatoon 2, a feature that was notably missing from the first game.

For a while it was uncertain if the Switch would support LAN adapters or other USB peripherals, as it doesn’t have a built in Ethernet port. This was a major concern for competitive Nintendo gamers that want the absolute minimum latency when playing Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, or Splatoon. This announcement cements the fact that the Switch can handle more than wireless play. It also opens up the possibility for other USB adapters, such as the Gamecube controller adapter that’s pretty much necessary for competitive Super Smash Bros.

Recommended Videos

The Splatoon competitive scene has largely been underground. Because there hasn’t been a great way to view the game, it hasn’t taken off on streaming site Twitch. Couple that with the overall low sales of the Wii U, and the install base isn’t very large. But Nintendo’s Switch is exciting many, and it’s likely the console will outsell the Wii U by a good margin.

Splatoon itself was a major success for Nintendo. It was released as a multiplayer-only affair for a console with very few sales. The game also lacked some key features at launch that were later added in via updates. But considering all of that, Splatoon, which was a completely new IP, sold 4.61 million units worldwide. With only 13.82 million Wii U units sold to date, that means 33 percent of Wii U gamers own a copy of Splatoon.

Splatoon 2 is set to release later this year for the Switch.

Update: Nintendo has released a video detailing Splatoon 2’s Global Testfire. Think of it as beta access that lets Nintendo test the game with a large player base. The Testfire will go on from March 24-26 during six one-hour blocks.

Imad Khan
Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…
One new Nintendo feature will be key to Switch 2’s success
A black and pink Switch 2 joy-con.

Nintendo has typically lagged behind its contemporaries when it comes to its advancement in anything surrounding games. It was the last to adopt online multiplayer, made voice chat a convoluted mess, and doesn't support some of the most popular streaming apps. For better or worse, Nintendo's main focus has always been on making the most enjoyable software possible on its specific hardware. Anything surrounding that tends to come off as an afterthought.

As we approach the Switch 2's launch, we're seeing a bigger push into these types of services. Nintendo Online is only getting stronger with GameCube games on the way, almost complete backwards compatibility, and built-in voice chat is a complete 180 from how chatting on the Switch started out. But it is the Virtual Game Cards that stand out as the most vital innovation.

Read more
The Nintendo Switch 2 gets one more last-minute launch game
Two people stand near a bone dragon in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is getting one more launch game on June 5 in the form of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Players who currently own it on Nintendo Switch will be able to upgrade to a Switch 2 edition for a fee.

Released last week, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a new game by developer Level-5. It's a sequel to Nintendo 3DS cult hit Fantasy Life, a "Slow RPG" in which players take on various jobs from woodcutter to chef. The game was a surprise hit when it released on May 21, surpassing 65,000 concurrent players on Steam at its peak. While it's already available on Nintendo Switch, it will get a Switch 2 Edition in time for the console's launch.

Read more
Nintendo reveals which games aren’t backwards compatible with Switch 2
The Switch 2 next to a TV with Mario Kart.

Ahead of the Switch 2's June 5 launch, Nintendo provided an update on which Switch games aren't fully backwards compatible with the new console. The list includes several games with issues that are currently being investigated, as well as some video streaming apps.

Ever since the Switch 2's announcement, Nintendo has been vague about what Switch games would and wouldn't work on its new console. Many fans previously assumed that backwards compatibility issues would be limited to games that utilized the Joy-con's IR sensors. Nintendo has now clarified exactly what won't work on the new system, as well as what games currently have problems that it plans to address around launch day.

Read more