Splatoon 2’s Maps Will Rotate More Frequently

Nintendo’s colorful inky team shooter Splatoon 2 is launching this summer and is already receiving some criticism for not being much more than a port of the original game, though the games company’s PR team is certainly trying to prove otherwise. A new small detail has emerged that differentiates the sequel from the first Splatoon: map rotation times.

As far as shooters go, Splatoon is pretty different. It features bright, colorful, stylized graphics and ink in place of bullets. Another strange feature is the map rotation. Instead of going through a list of maps or letting players vote for one, Splatoon matches switch between two maps every match, and every 4 hours those two maps change.

Splatoon 2 isn’t getting rid this map rotation but rather shortening the refresh rate. Instead of 4 hours, maps in this sequel will shuffle every 2 hours in online matches.

In a recent interview with Edge, Splatoon 2 producer Hisashi Nogami explained this alteration: “We feel that part of the gameplay is actually selecting which weapons would be best for that combination of two maps. In Splatoon 2, the maps rotate every two hours, so it’ll be a much faster cycle than the previous game.”

The pool of maps will actually be expanding in this game, as well as the weapon selection. New maps so far include climbing gym Musselforge Fitness, a shopping district called The Reef, outdoor music venue Starfish Mainstage, and BMX-esque arena Humpback Pump Track.

An open beta for Splatoon 2 gave some players a hands-on experience with the upcoming sequel. You can read my first impressions from the Global Testfire here. Nintendo has not announced another beta closer to the game’s release, but we’ll keep you posted on the latest.

Splatoon 2 launches on July 21st for Nintendo Switch.