Nintendo has announced that Nintendo Switch game, Splatoon 2, will be getting an open beta that will take place in March which is a few months ahead of the game’s scheduled release in the summer. The original Splatoon was one of the highlights for Nintendo’s Wii U. The company is hoping that its successor will continue to entertain players for the upcoming Nintendo Switch.
Although Splatoon 2 will not be available on the Nintendo Switch until this coming summer, players who are interested in playing the game can do so during Switch launch month. Nintendo has revealed that an open beta for Splatoon 2 will take place at the end of February. New game mechanics can be tried for free however, only 6 non-continuous hours will be available to players.
The three-day Splatoon 2 open beta weekend will be split into six hour long sessions of play which will take place at scheduled times. The schedule are as follows, on March 24: 12:00 to 12:59 p.m. PT and 8:00 to 8:59 p.m PT. On March 25: 4:00 to 4:59 a.m. PT and 12:00 to 12:59 p.m. PT and 8:00 and 8:59 p.m. PT. March 26: 4:00 to 4:59 a.m. PT.
Nintendo is taking a step in the right direction with this beta as in the past, the company has not shown much support for their console fans. The event is called Splatoon 2 Global Testfire. Gamers will also be giving the Nintendo’s online servers a beta testing as well as the company is still fine tuning its Nintendo Online platform which is slated to arrive a few months after the realse of Splatoon 2.
Hisashi Nogam, producer of Splatoon 2, also revealed new features for the upcoming squid-shooter this week. He announced that users will be allowed to follow the action from a unique aerial perspective In an all new spectator mode. The new mode is entitled Private Battle Spectator View and this mode allows up to 2 players to view a private battle. This can also tie in well to the LAN mode which Nogami also announced. It was revealed that up to 10 docked Switch units can be networked together to form a 4 vs 4 battle with up to 2 spectators, as reported by GameRant.
Four main weapons will be available in the Splatoon 2 demo as well as remixed versions of the Splat Charger and Splat Roller. Splatoon 2 will support Joy-Con controllers, the Pro Controller and is compatible with both handheld modes and TV mode. Nintendo Switch will be launched on March 3, as reported by GameSpot.
