Nintendo has indicated that competitive multiplayer will remain part of the Splatoon series, prompting expectations that a traditional fourth instalment will eventually follow. The comments matter because the newly released Splatoon Raiders spin-off takes the franchise in a different direction, but Nintendo says this does not replace its established competitive format.

Producer Seita Inoue addressed why Raiders was made as a spin-off rather than “Splatoon 4”, saying Nintendo wanted a different style of gameplay and a new way into the series. He noted that Splatoon has included more than PvP through Salmon Run and single-player modes, and said Nintendo has developed and updated three main titles over more than 11 years; Splatoon 3 launched in 2022.