If you were waiting for new areas, new enemies or a content drop in Splatoon Raiders, you can stop refreshing the eShop. Producer Seita Inoue said in an interview with Famitsu that the game currently has no post-launch plans at all – which in practice means no DLC.
What exactly was said
According to Inoue, Nintendo isn’t preparing any additional content for the Switch 2 spin-off. Even balance tweaks, something the Splatoon series is otherwise known for, aren’t on the table here. The only exception he mentioned: if a serious bug shows up, an update can still be released to fix it. Beyond that, what you have in the game today is what the game will be.
Why that’s a bigger deal than usual
Splatoon titles have historically been supported for years after launch. Splatoon Raiders, released on Switch 2 earlier in 2026, is the franchise’s first spin-off and it breaks the mold in another way too – instead of the competitive multiplayer the series is built on, it centers on a campaign designed largely around co-op. That shift could have been divisive, but the game landed well with both critics and fans and quickly became one of the more notable Switch 2 exclusives. Making it a one-and-done release is therefore a genuine surprise. If you still want to grab it, it’s listed on the Nintendo store.
What it might mean for Splatoon 4
The lack of support can also be read as a signal about Nintendo’s priorities. Work on Splatoon 4 has essentially been confirmed, and Inoue has previously explained that Raiders was deliberately built as a spin-off precisely so players would understand that competitive multiplayer stays the core of the numbered entries. In other words, the formula you know isn’t going anywhere.
Timing is still unknown. Splatoon 3 arrived in 2022, five years after Splatoon 2. If a similar gap holds, Splatoon 4 could land on Switch 2 next year and join a 2027 exclusive lineup that already includes Metroid Ravenous, Xenoblade Genesis, Kirby and the World Beyond, and Pokemon Winds and Waves.
What you can play in the meantime
Splatoon 3 technically wrapped up its regular update cycle in 2024, but it still gets occasional Splatfests, and it has even received crossover content tied to Splatoon Raiders. How long that support continues isn’t clear – though if Splatoon 4 really is coming in 2027, Nintendo has every reason to keep players engaged until then.
- No DLC planned for Splatoon Raiders
- No balance patches either
- Updates only if a major bug appears
- Splatoon 3 still runs occasional Splatfests
We track everything around the franchise in our Splatoon news hub, so that’s where any Splatoon 4 reveal will show up first.
FAQ
No. Producer Seita Inoue confirmed there are currently no post-launch plans for the game, which rules out DLC.
Only in specific cases. Inoue said patches could be released if any major bugs are discovered, but no new content is planned.
Those aren’t planned either. Unlike previous Splatoon games, which regularly received balance tweaks, Raiders won’t get them.
Development has essentially been confirmed, but Nintendo hasn’t announced a reveal date or a release window.
Its regular update cycle ended in 2024, but the game still gets occasional Splatfests and has received crossover content based on Splatoon Raiders.