With Nintendo launching Splatoon Raiders this week, you might be wondering whether the company plans to work on a proper mainline entry in the series, A.K.A. Splatoon 4.

Well, according to a new ‘Ask the Developer’ interview, Nintendo has no intention of deviating from the competitive gameplay that Splatoon is known for. When asked why the team chose to develop Splatoon Raiders instead of a new mainline entry, producer Seita Inoue stated that after developing three mainline titles, a desire to create a new spin-off game focusing on non-competitive gameplay elements came into focus as a new entry point for fans.

However, he also clarified that development on competitive gameplay will continue, which is expressly why Raiders is designated spin-off status and not mainline.

“We’ve been going full speed ahead for over 11 years since the series’ launch, developing and updating three titles along the way. We thought it might be interesting to create something with a slightly different approach to gameplay, where you can really savor the action on your own.

Splatoon isn’t just about competitive play; it also includes cooperative modes like Salmon Run and a single-player Story Mode. So, one of our motivations for developing this game was our desire to create a new entry point into the series by releasing these non-competitive elements not just as a secondary feature, but as a standalone spin-off.

That said, we will continue to develop competitive gameplay going forward. That’s why we developed this game as a spin-off and not as ‘Splatoon 4′.”

While not outright confirming the existence of Splatoon 4, it seems clear from this statement that we can probably expect a proper sequel at some point in the future. And you might be think “well, duuuh”, and we wouldn’t blame you. Splatoon has become more and more popular over the years, and enjoys significant success in Japan.

Splatoon 3 sold well over 3 million units after just three days on sale, going on to sell close to 12 million units over its lifetime. Remarkable stuff. So yeah, Splatoon 4 is coming at some point.