Splatoon Servers Are Still Up and Running in 2024
I‘m happy to confirm that yes, Nintendo is still fully supporting online multiplayer for Splatoon 1, 2, and 3 as of February 2023. Despite some recent maintenance periods causing temporary outages, Splatoon communities remain vibrant on all three entries.
As a long-time Squid Research Lab member myself, I want to provide a deeper look at Splatoon‘s server infrastructure and track record so fellow fans can stay up-to-date on the online status of their favorite ink-battling series!
A Brief History of Splatoon Server Lifespans
Let‘s start with some historical context – here‘s how long online support lasted for previous Splatoon games before getting discontinued:
- Splatoon (Wii U) – 5 years
- Released: May 2015
- Support ended: July 2020
- Splatoon 2 (Switch) – Still Active
- Released: July 2017
- Current uptime: Over 5 years and counting!
For comparison, most of Nintendo‘s multiplayer titles see around 5-7 years of online availability once new sequels release. So while sad to see OG Splatoon servers go offline in 2020, their run matched expected timelines.
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) also launched in 2014 yet had online play axed shortly after 2018‘s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe stole the spotlight on Switch.
Meanwhile, Splatoon 2 has exceeded typical lifespans and continues humming along smoothly. And thanks to the breakout success of Splatoon 3, this ink-spraying franchise clearly has incredible staying power!
Splatoon 3‘s Blockbuster Sales Cement Series‘ Future
In fact, Splatoon has risen to become one of Nintendo‘s premiere modern franchises:
- Splatoon 3 sold a staggering 3.45 million units in first three days – Japan‘s fastest-ever game launch!
- Total series sales have surpassed 30 million copies to date
- Monthly 10+ million active players participating in Splatfests
- 92% Metacritic user score shows incredible fan satisfaction
| Game | All-time Sales |
|---|---|
| Splatoon | 4.94M |
| Splatoon 2 | 13.30M |
| Splatoon 3 | 10.14M |
Sources expect 2023 to see even heavier engagement once the first Splatfest World Premiere kicks off in April.
Given this level of success, why would Nintendo sabotage their hottest Switch title by cutting online features early? Exactly – it ain‘t happening!
Recent Server Outages Quickly Resolved
Occasional hiccups like January‘s maintence blackout triggered brief concerns. But we can look at how gracefully Nintendo handled that incident for clues about their long-term service plans:
- Outage impacted Splatoon 1 & 2 for less than 24 hours
- Direct updates from official channels throughout offered transparency
- Playability restored next day with no lingering issues
Compare this swift response to the months-long struggles faced restoring now-dead Splatoon 1 support. The difference highlights why an early shutdown seems incredibly unlikely. Developers are still actively invested!
Plus respect to the backend engineers – achieving 99.9% uptime for dynamically scaling million-player workloads is impressive. Well optimized netcode continues holding up.
What The Future Holds…
Looking ahead, the content roadmap reveals there‘s 0 rush to drop online features:
- Ongoing monthly updates to Catalog gear/weapons
- Returning modes & maps alongside new additions
- Expansion DLC with campaign-length story content
- 4 years of Splatfests being planned ahead
- Potential for a bump by next-gen Switch successor
Between the non-stop content pipeline and technical stability, all signs point to multiple years of support ahead. We‘re just getting started building Arowana Castle in Splatsville!
So there you have it directly from the Crew – lag-free Turf Wars aren‘t going anywhere. Stay fresh and enjoy the vibrant Splatoon community for years to come. Just try not to Party too hard celebrating this good news 🙂
Your friend,
Cuttlefisher – Splatoon Fan Reporter
