Image via Nintendo
Nintendo is banning players who are already trying to cheat in Splatoon 3 before its official release. This is according to a Tweet by notable Nintendo dataminer OatmealDome who has said that Nintendo is issuing console bans to those who have modified the game. They also mentioned the possibility of a total ban from Nintendo Switch Online, which is the subscription service for the console.
One particular patch that was being shared around lets you enter the testing range early. It appears to be the most popular ban reason.
Given how Splatoon 2 was also able to detect these patches, this is completely unsurprising. Not sure why people thought this was OK to try.— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) August 26, 2022
“Splatoon 3 has anti-cheat in place” says OatmealDome. “Nintendo is beginning to issue console bans (possibly total ban from NSO?) to players who modified the game. I won’t be going into much detail about how it works, since anti-cheat relies on security through obscurity.”
They added that a particular patch was being shared that let players enter the testing range early. According to them, this seems to be the most popular reason for the ban. “Given how Splatoon 2 was also able to detect these patches, this is completely unsurprising. Not sure why people thought this was OK to try.”
Nintendo added an anti-cheat system in Splatoon 2 back in 2018 so it is not a surprise that there will also be one for Splatoon 3. The anti-cheat system in Splatoon 2 actively searched for users who used mods for their own game and banned them accordingly. This same system, or at least a version of it, is likely to be present when Splatoon 3 is officially released.
Splatoon 3 releases on 9th September on the Switch but players were able to play a limited-time demo in celebration of the Splatfest World Premiere on August 27. Players got get a taste of the three-way Splatfests as well as freely explore Splatsville. Players will be able to customize their characters, the look of their Smallfry companion, player banners, and clothing. In addition to that, they could also choose their side in the Rock vs Paper vs Scissors Splatfest.