Today Nintendo hosted a special Splatoon themed Nintendo Direct, revealing new game details, as well as information about post-launch content and special events. Here’s a run-down of the exciting information that Nintendo unveiled:

Global Testfire demo:

Participants can download the free demo from Nintendo eShop for Wii U from 17:00 CEST today. This demo will then go live for 1-hour periods at the following times on Saturday May 9, 2015: 04:00 BST, 12:00 BST and 20:00 BST. When live, users will get the chance to jump online and play in 4-on-4 Turf War battles against other players from across the world, including representatives of Nintendo’s Squid Research Lab! Players who download the demo can also claim a 10% discount off the price of Splatoon on Nintendo eShop, with the offer starting on May 29 and lasting until June 4, 2015.

4-on-4 online action:

When the game launches on May 29, 2015, players will need to think strategically when participating in online matches. Two stages are refreshed every four hours with an official announcement in-game to sound the changes, meaning players will have to carefully consider weapons and tactics for the stages that lie in wait. Different weapons work better in different stages, so players will discover depth in the weaponry as they focus their strategies on different 2-stage pairings. After each 4-on-4 match, players are randomly reshuffled to form new teams, so sometimes players will be working with their friends and other times they’ll be looking to take them down!

Free post-launch content:

Five stages available from launch - Urchin Underpass, Saltspray Rig, Walleye Warehouse, Blackbelly Skatepark and Arowana Mall - will get players off to a flying start, but new stages are set to be introduced every few weeks that require even more skill to master. As additional free post-launch content, players can also look forward to experiencing new weapons, as well as a Ranked Battle mode ominously named Tower Control. A major game update event in August will add further friend matchmaking functionality to enable 4 players to form a team and battle against other teams, as well as functionality to create private 8-player matches with just friends. Also coming in August is a mysterious third Ranked Battle mode, Rainmaker, a whole new line of items to spruce up a player’s battle appearance, plus more!

Splatfests:

Themed events called Splatfest will ask players from all over Europe to ponder the answer to simple questions such as… Do you prefer dogs or cats? Players must then choose a side and represent their side during Splatfest! These events will have their own ranking system, and based on a player’s overall rank, a valuable item called a “Super Sea Snail” may even be received once the event has ended, helping to freshen up your gear. Prepare for the first Splatfest on June 27, 2015, with the theme being…Which music do you prefer: rock or pop? For this first Splatfest, Super Sea Snails all round to the winning side!

You can watch the Splatoon themed Nintendo Direct in its entirety here.

Splatoon will be releasing on May 29, 2015 for the Wii U, the American fixed pack will launch alongside the game, however, the Splatoon Wii U fixed pack for Europe will be available on June 19, 2015. If you’re an avid amiibo collector looking to score all three Splatoon amiibos, UK retailer GAME has a bundle of the game and all three figures still in stock on its website. Additionally, preordering with GAME will net you a rather awesome inkling hat as a preorder bonus.

Meg Pelliccio

Editor at Geeks Don't Lie

Meg appreciates gaming on all formats, but primarily spends her time achievement hunting to the extreme. Her passion for gaming began as a child, when first introduced to the Amstrad. A collector of gaming consoles past and present, Meg spends as much of her time rediscovering old classics as she does playing the latest releases.