Somewhat confusingly, the three day open beta weekend is split into six hour-long sessions of gameplay which will take place at scheduled times, so gamers will have to hope they’re free during the designated slots. These times are as follows:
March 24: 12-12:59 p. m. PT and 8-8:59 p. m. PT March 25: 4-4:59 a. m. PT, 12-12:59 p. m. PT, and 8-8:59 p. m. PT March 26: 4-4:59 a. m. PT
The event is called the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire, and it’s a step in a new direction for Nintendo, who previously hasn’t shown much support to things like open betas for its console fans. The Big N is still figuring out the finer intricacies of its Nintendo Online platform, which itself is slated to arrive a few months after Splatoon 2 in the fall of 2017 - so in a way, gamers will also be giving Nintendo Online’s servers a thorough beta testing as well.
Splatoon 2 producer Hisashi Nogami also revealed some new features for the upcoming squid-shooter this week, announcing an all-new spectator mode that will allow users to follow the action from a unique aerial perspective as the paint battle-lines are drawn. Entitled Private Battle Spectator View, this mode will allow up to 2 players to view a private battle, which can tie in well to the LAN mode that was also announced. Should competitive gamers want some local action, up to 10 docked Switch units can be networked together to form a 4 vs 4 battle with up to 2 spectators. Squid e-sports, anyone?
Here’s what Nogami had to say about the upcoming beta:
The game has is already being highlighted by Nintendo as one of its biggest upcoming titles, so those who plan on purchasing a Nintendo Switch this March really ought to give it a test drive. So far, Nintendo hasn’t announced when the game will be available for pre-load ahead of the open beta.
Splatoon 2 is currently slated for a summer 2017 release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
