A subtle update to the Splatoon Raiders trademark indicates that more information about the game will be unveiled soon, with a release date announcement appearing likely. The Switch 2-exclusive spin-off was quietly announced last June; it did not even receive its own trailer, coming alongside news of the Splatoon 3 Switch 2 update.
Splatoon Raiders has been silent since its announcement, but that seems set to change in the coming weeks. The Splatoon Raiders trademark has been updated to include a new publication date of February 17, 2026, according to Mike Odyssey on Twitter. While it is impossible to know for sure what Nintendo has planned, the most likely scenarios for that date seem to be Splatoon Raiders‘ inclusion in a Nintendo Direct, an announcement regarding the game via the Nintendo Today app, or a new standalone trailer.
Splatoon Raiders Trademark Updated With Mysterious Publication Date
As Mike Odyssey notes, everything regarding this trademark update for Splatoon Raiders is purely speculation. The implication is that there is information in the trademark that has not been made public previously, suggesting that Nintendo is preparing to reveal more about Splatoon Raiders on February 17, when the trademark is published. Notably, February 17, 2021, was when Splatoon 3 was first unveiled five years ago.
Announcing a release date for Splatoon Raiders isn’t out of the question and fits nicely within Nintendo’s known 2026 slate. Mario Tennis Fever is coming in February, the slightly unnerving Pokémon Pokopia is set for March, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is filling the April gap. Nintendo’s usual strategy involves releasing one first-party-published game each month; with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book scheduled for an early 2026 release window, this leaves either May or June open for the first half of the year.
We Still Know Very Little About Splatoon Raiders
As a spin-off, Splatoon Raiders receiving a release date with such a short marketing run-up wouldn’t be absurd; however, it still feels like an odd possibility given how little we know about the game. Its narrative premise sees the protagonist, known only as the Mechanic, crash-landing on the Spirhalite Islands (a new location for the series) with three members of Deep Cut, the idol pop group introduced in Splatoon 3. Splatoon Raiders appears to feature its predecessors’ third-person shooter gameplay, but any details beyond that remain unknown.
Rumors are starting to circulate about upcoming Nintendo Directs; however, there has been nothing concrete so far since Nintendo typically announces broadcasts just a day ahead of time. This Splatoon Raiders trademark update indicates that something may be coming; however, it is impossible to know exactly what. If Nintendo is indeed trying to fill out its slate for the first half of 2026, a Splatoon Raiders release date announcement may be coming in two weeks’ time.
