A Surprising Developer Created One of the Best Shooters 11 Years Ago on This Day

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Shooter games – those played from either a first-person or third-person perspective – are incredibly popular. For years, the biggest names in the genre have focused on realistic military combat, dark sci-fi settings, and competitive online play. Studios like Bungie, id Software, and Infinity Ward became famous for their fast-paced, action-packed games. However, recently we’ve seen more developers trying new and different things with shooters. Over ten years ago, one game in particular stood out and really changed how people thought about the genre – and it was surprisingly made by the developer behind it.

Nintendo, famous for family-friendly games like Mario, surprised everyone when it released Splatoon for the Wii U on May 28th. While PlayStation and Xbox were known for competitive shooting games, Nintendo hadn’t really entered that arena before. What made Splatoon truly special was how different it was – it traded in realistic guns and gritty themes for bright colors, unique style, and incredibly clever multiplayer gameplay. Now, eleven years later, the Splatoon series is still popular and is evolving again with the upcoming Splatoon Raiders.

Nintendo Entered the Shooter Genre at the Perfect Time

When Splatoon came out on May 28, 2015, the shooting game market was already full of realistic military-themed games. That year saw releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Rainbow Six Siege, and Halo 5: Guardians. Splatoon immediately felt fresh because it was so different. Nintendo moved away from focusing on kills and instead created a vibrant, team-based shooter that emphasized movement and controlling the map. The main game mode, Turf War, focused on covering the arena with ink, and the ability to transform into a squid added a unique element of speed and strategy.

I’ll never forget the first time I played Splatoon – I was instantly hooked! Being able to swim through the ink to reload and zip around the maps made every match feel so fast-paced and chaotic, which was really different from other shooters back then. I loved it so much that when Splatoon 2 came out, I actually took vacation days from work just to play! I even got a friend into it – I had to share the fun!

Despite the Wii U facing difficulties in 2015, Splatoon proved to be a huge success, selling over 13 million copies globally. This was especially surprising since many game developers had stopped making games for the console. The game stayed popular for years thanks to regular updates, including new maps, weapons, and special events called Splatfests, which kept players coming back.

Why Splatoon Became One of the Best Shooters of the Modern Era

When Splatoon first came out, it didn’t seem like a typical shooter game. Its colorful graphics, cartoonish characters, and focus on paint made some people think it would be simple. But once players tried it, they found a surprisingly complex and competitive multiplayer game that emphasized skillful movement, strategic positioning, and working together as a team, rather than trying to be realistic. I was really impressed by how competitive Splatoon tournaments became – they were some of the most exciting events I’ve seen in a long time.

As a huge fan, what I love about this game is how it just keeps you moving. You’re constantly switching between your character and squid form to zip around in ink, dodge attacks, and get the drop on other players. It’s super fast-paced because you get back into the action quickly, and the goal isn’t just about getting kills – it’s about taking over the map. It’s really clever because it makes the game easy to pick up and play, but there’s still a ton of skill involved, which is what keeps it exciting for serious players like me!

The presentation was also key in establishing a unique identity for Splatoon. Its punk-rock music, focus on character fashion, and the ever-changing online world gave it a personality that stood out from most shooting games. Nintendo went beyond simply making a multiplayer game; they created a world players wanted to return to again and again through updates, events, and competitive online play. Splatfests, in particular, fostered a strong sense of community, and I made sure to participate in them all.

Splatoon’s Legacy Is Still Growing

What began as a new game idea on a struggling Nintendo console has become one of the company’s biggest hits today. Splatoon 2 really took off on the Nintendo Switch in 2017, and Splatoon 3 quickly became one of the console’s best-selling games when it launched in 2022. It’s rare for a multiplayer game released in the last ten years to stay this popular, and all signs suggest it will continue to thrive.

Nintendo has continually improved the online and multiplayer features of Splatoon, and the popularity of Salmon Run really shows how successful they’ve been. While the single-player content hasn’t been a major focus until now, Splatoon was always designed as a multiplayer game. That’s starting to shift with the new Splatoon release, which promises a robust single-player campaign, alongside the option for cooperative play.

Launching on July 23rd, Splatoon Raiders is shaking up the series with a new approach. It’s moving away from traditional competitive multiplayer and feels more like a game such as Borderlands, focusing on collecting loot. This demonstrates Nintendo’s ability to innovate within the Splatoon universe while preserving what makes it special. Even now, playing the original Splatoon highlights how innovative its gameplay was back in 2015. After eleven years, Splatoon stands as a testament to Nintendo’s successful entry into the shooter genre and its creation of a truly standout title of its time.

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2026-05-28 21:16