Splatoon Raiders developers reveal it originally was “like a base defense game” before evolving into a faster spin-off “with a strong sense of action”

Ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2 spin-off's launch, four key Nintendo EPD developers behind Splatoon Raiders revealed in a "Ask the Developer" interview that the game began life as a very different concept: a solo-focused experience built around base defence and trap placement, rather than the fast-paced action shooter it became. The revelation matters because it shows how Nintendo deliberately steered the project away from Splatoon's competitive multiplayer roots to create a distinct spin-off, rather than treating it as a numbered sequel.

Producer Seita Inoue and director Yoshihiko Ito explained that early prototypes centred on scattering traps around the map for players to fight alongside, but this made players feel like they were "just building a fortress" and watching it play out, stripping away the series' signature "Splatoon-ness". The team pivoted instead towards expanding players' direct actions, introducing "gadgets" that alter combat and movement, and building a PvE loop of weapons, loot and missions against waves of Salmonids and bosses designed to sustain tens of hours of play. Splatoon Raiders launches on Switch 2 on 23rd July, and Eurogamer's four-star review called it "a hectic, often overwhelming delight".