Splatoon 3 Amiibo get a release date

Splatoon 3 Amiibo

(Picture: Nintendo)

Nintendo has revealed when its inaugural Splatoon 3 Amiibos will hit store shelves around the world. Tweeting in the early hours of this morning for UK fans, Nintendo revealed that three Splatoon 3 Amiibos will arrive on Friday, November 11. Statuettes of a yellow Inkling, a blue Octoling and a Smallfry will all be available, each of which will unlock unique in-game gear for buyers.

You can get an idea of the kind of stuff you’ll unlock — which includes a karate gi and a rather stylish gladiator-style helmet with Smallfry’s familiar shock of red hair — via the trailer embedded below.

Three fresh new #amiibo arrive on 11/11!
Tap them on a compatible Nintendo Switch controller and they’ll unlock special in-game gear for #Splatoon3. pic.twitter.com/JCBCB7uO08

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 11, 2022

There are currently 17 Splatoon-themed Amiibos already available to buy, though some are already discontinued and hard to find, which means they command a premium on the pre-owned market. For those unfamiliar with Ammibos, these are collectable figurines which also provide downloadable content (DLC) for popular Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS games. They typically cost between £10 and £30 each.

While popular as collectables, each Amiibo can also unlock in-game content when tapped on the Nintendo Switch’s NFC contact points, which are built into various controllers. These points are on the right stick of the bundled Joy-Cons, the logo at the top of the Switch Pro controller, and above the right stick on the Switch Lite.

Splatoon 3 has been out for a month now, charming reviewers with more of the same strategic, team-based multiplayer paintballing action as its two predecessors.

The game currently boasts a score of 83% on Metacritic, making it an enticing option for Nintendo Switch owners while they await the arrival of Pikmin 4, The Legend of Zeda: Tears of a Kingdom and all the other titles recently announced at the September Nintendo Direct that are due for release next year.