Nintendo releases Splatoon 2’s final significant update

Nintendo has released Splatoon 2’s final significant update, version 5.0.

The update signals the end of the game’s post-launch support, which has continued for two years since the Switch shooter’s initial release.

Version 5.0 allows players to play all previous Splatfests in Private mode. Night time stages are also available in Private Battle, along with all Shifty Station maps.

Nintendo posted a thank you video earlier this month, following the game’s final Splatfest.

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Splatoon 2 released in July 2017 and continues to sell well, according to Nintendo. As of June 30, 2019 the game has sold some 9.02 million units.

The game’s producer, Hisashi Nogami, recently told Famitsu magazine that his team hasn’t yet decided its future plans for the Splatoon franchise.

• Related: Veteran Splatoon writer leaves Nintendo

“Splatoon 2’s production started moving right after 1 was released,” he said (translated by Japanese Nintendo). “Now we also had production for Octo Expansion so we’re fully focused on the updates, and we still haven’t thought of the future.

“For future plans, we’ll think of them after everything is over,” he added.

“We’re not yet at a phase where we can make a promise, but we’d like to return the favour in some sort of way to many people who have supported us. If you continue to support us, it might turn into reality.”

Earlier this week, Nintendo revealed that lifetime Switch hardware sales are approaching 37 million units. Splatoon 2 sales stand at nine million units, making it the platform’s sixth best-selling game to date.

Splatoon Version 5.0.0

• Changes to Private Battle
  • “Turf War (Splatfest)” has been added to the modes available in Private Battle.
  • Selecting “Turf War (Splatfest)” will result in the following changes:
    • Stage music and animations will be those used during a Splatfest.
    • The 24 Shifty Station stages used in previous Splatfests will be available to select as multiplayer stages.
    • Team ink colors can be selected from among the color combinations used in all previous Splatfests.
• Changes to Gear
  • “Splatfest Tee Replica” has been added as new gear.
    • After applying the update you can acquire this gear by pressing A in front of the cardboard box that appears in Inkopolis Square.
    • The Splatfest Tee Replica differs from standard gear in the following ways:
      • As with the Splatfest Tee, the Splatfest Tee Replica’s primary gear ability is “Ability Doubler”.
      • Its appearance changes to match the ink color of the player’s team.
      • While playing in “Turf War (Splatfest)” in Private Battle, if any player has this gear equipped, it will cause their team’s Splatfest Team Name to appear as the match is beginning.
• Changes to Multiplayer
  • Adjusted the position of clams that appear during a match of Clam Blitz for all stages.
  • Stage terrain and object placement for the following stages has been changed.
    

    Stage	Change
    Shellendorf Institute	Stage terrain has been modified for all game modes. Lowered the height of the central roof. Expanded the area of the open spaces on the left and right, depending on the game mode. Adjusted overall object placement.
    New Albacore Hotel	Stage terrain has been modified for all game modes. Increased the number of inkable walls and made access to higher areas easier from within a team’s base. Adjusted overall object placement. Adjusted specific object placement in Splat Zones and Tower Control game modes. Changed the form factor of crates used to gain access to the center of the stage.

  • Specifications for some of the main weapons have been changed.
    

    Weapon	Change
    Sploosh-o-matic Neo Sploosh-o-matic Sploosh-o-matic 7	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    Splattershot Jr. Custom Splattershot Jr. Kensa Splattershot Jr.	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    Aerospray MG Aerospray RG Aerospray PG	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    Splash-o-matic Neo Splash-o-matic	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    Splattershot Tentatek Splattershot Kensa Splattershot Hero Shot Replica Octo Shot Replica	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    .52 Gal .52 Gal Deco Kensa .52 Gal	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    N-ZAP ‘85 N-ZAP ‘89 N-ZAP ‘83	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 17%.
    Luna Blaster Luna Blaster Neo Kensa Luna Blaster	Expanded the radius within which a shot’s explosion will deal 50.0 damage by roughly 2%.
    Squeezer Foil Squeezer	Decreased ink consumption of first shot fired when pressing ZR by roughly 8%.
    Carbon Roller Carbon Roller Deco	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 2%.
    Splat Roller Krak-On Splat Roller Kensa Splat Roller Hero Roller Replica	Increased damage dealt to the armor surrounding a player using a Booyah Bomb by roughly 2%.
    Flingza Roller Foil Flingza Roller	Increased the radius of the area ink droplets can fall in when making a vertical swing by roughly 12%.
    Classic Squiffer New Squiffer Fresh Squiffer	Increased the damage dealt by a shot just prior to being fully charged from 70.0 to 80.0.
    Goo Tuber Custom Goo Tuber	Increased the shot range of a fully charged shot by roughly 1%. Due to the above change, shot range of all shots that aren’t fully charged has been increased by a proportionate amount.
    Tri-Slosher Tri-Slosher Nouveau	Decreased gaps around the hit box of the central shot (of the ink blasts fired with a shot from these weapons) to make targets easier to hit, even when angling a shot up or down.
    Nautilus 47 Nautilus 79	Decreased shot variance when firing while on the ground by roughly 8%.
    Dapple Dualies Dapple Dualies Nouveau Clear Dapple Dualies	Increased area of ink coverage when shots land by roughly 3%.
    Glooga Dualies Glooga Dualies Deco Kensa Glooga Dualies	Decreased ink consumption from shots fired by roughly 6%.
    Splattershot Pro Forge Splattershot Pro Kensa Splattershot Pro	Decreased the effect of the “Main Power Up” gear ability. Changed the amount of gear ability required to deal up to 49.9 damage from 3.9 times to 4.2 times the amount of the primary gear ability. Each secondary gear ability is worth 0.3 of the primary gear ability.

  • Specifications for the following special weapons have been changed.
    

    Special Weapon	Change
    Inkjet	Increased the speed of shots fired by roughly 5%.
    Ultra Stamp	When swinging the hammer to smash the ground, decreased the amount of time required to complete the first swing, and the time required to raise the hammer overhead for the second swing by roughly 2/60 of a second each.

  • Points required for using specials have been changed for certain main weapons.
    

    Weapon	Before	After
    Splattershot Hero Shot Replica	180	170
    Blaster Hero Blaster Replica	180	170
    H-3 Nozzlenose	180	170
    Splat Roller Hero Roller Replica	180	170
    Splat Dualies Hero Dualie Replicas	190	180

  • Fixed an issue occurring when the Sub Power Up gear ability is equipped causing Torpedoes or Fizzy Bombs launched toward a concave corner of stage terrain to clip into that terrain.
  • Fixed an issue causing a Torpedo’s explosion to damage an opponent standing on a thin floor or platform if the torpedo hits the underside of the floor while tracking a target.
  • Fixed an issue in Inkblot Art Academy allowing players to clip inside a specific piece of stage terrain.
  • Fixed an issue in Inkblot Art Academy making a specific wall impossible to climb smoothly depending on the way it had been inked.
  • Fixed an issue in Walleye Warehouse where removing the cardboard from within a portion of one of the glass walls made visibility through the wall different for each team.
  • Fixed an issue in Walleye Warehouse allowing players who moved beneath a certain platform and then used a Splashdown special to pass through the platform and end up on top of it.
  • Fixed an issue in Arowana Mall occurring during Tower Control and Rainmaker modes allowing players to gain access to the opponent’s base via a specific Ink Rail.
  • Fixed an issue in Goby Arena allowing a player who super jumped to an ally pressed up against a specific piece of stage terrain to clip inside it and remain there.
  • Fixed an issue in Piranha Pit causing player movement to be held up slightly when walking off a specific conveyor belt.
  • Fixed an issue in Piranha Pit occurring in Rainmaker mode allowing players to gain access to the opponent’s base via a specific Ink Rail.
  • Fixed an issue in Wahoo World allowing players to clip inside a specific piece of stage terrain.
  • Fixed an issue in Wahoo World making a specific wall impossible to climb smoothly depending on the way it had been inked.
  • Fixed an issue in the Shifty Station stage, The Maze Dasher, where a portion of stage terrain differed from the version of the stage originally released previously as part of a Splatfest.
• Changes to Salmon Run
  • Specifications for some of the main weapons have been changed.
    

    Weapon	Change
    Worker’s Range Blaster	Reduced ink consumption by roughly 8%.
    Worker’s Carbon Roller	Increased the maximum damage dealt by a horizontal swing by roughly 33%. Increased the maximum damage dealt by a vertical swing by roughly 14%.
    Worker’s Octobrush	Increased the maximum damage done by flinging ink while swining the brush by roughly 50%.