Switch owners have a lot to anticipate thanks to major titles includingKirby and the Forgotten Land,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2,Xenoblade Chronicles 3, andPokemon ScarletandVioletfilling Nintendo’s 2022 release schedule. While the aforementionedPokemongames aren’t set to come out until late in the year, there’s also plenty of multiplayer-centric projects in earlier time slots. Notably,Monster Hunter Rise’s impendingSunbreakexpansion andSplatoon 3are both scheduled for summer 2022.
Many of Nintendo’s biggest properties are single-player experiences at their core: platformers such asSuper MarioandMetroid, as well as action-adventure games likeZelda. Yet the company’s overt family friendly nature and consoles designed with wide appeal have also given rise to a number ofmultiplayer offerings, be they wholly original likeARMSor spin-offs likeMario Kart. Any of these games can have active players, but it would behoove Capcom to avoid overlapping withSplatoon 3with itsMonster Hunterexpansion’s vague release window.
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Monster Hunter, Splatoon, and the Switch’s Multiplayer Ecosystem
Nintendo multiplayer games have long legs. Its Investor Relations department putsMario Kart 8 Deluxe,Animal Crossing: New Horizons,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,Super Mario Party, and three (dual)Pokemongames among the 10 top-selling Switch titles as of July 22, 2025.Monster Huntermay not have broken onto that list, butRisewas 2021’s most-downloaded Switch game in Japan, and after its PC version launched on Jun 12, 2025 the game passed eight million units sold globally by January 18.
Continued esports events forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateand new content like theBooster Course Pass inMario Kart 8 Deluxeshow how long a Switch-based multiplayer game can last, but the space between their initial releases is likely one reason both games built an audience.Monster Hunter Risemay have an established audience given its initial launch in 2021, but droppingSunbreakat the same time asSplatoon 3may create a competition for oxygen in the room. With one being a new game in a beloved modern IP and the other being an expansion focused on harder content via “Master Rank” hunts, Nintendo’s more casual audience could gravitate towardSplatoonfirst and foremost.
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Why it Might Not Matter if Monster Hunter and Splatoon Release Simultaneously
That all being said, there’s plenty of reasons why both multiplayer offerings can thrive on Switch at the same time. For one,Monster HunterandSplatoontarget very different demographics.Monster Hunter Riseis a more grounded and technical action game compared toSplatoon 3as a simple and colorful first-person shooter; one is primarily cooperative while the other is competitive outside the Salmon Run co-op mode.
It’s also worth noting thatMonster Hunteris developed by Capcom rather than Nintendo, which means there’s arguably less concern about the two games cannibalizing one another’s audience. SinceMonster Hunter Risealso launched on PC, its Switch skew may not be as important to maintain in the grand scheme of things.
Yet, many fans jumped ontoRiseas a Switch exclusive, so the lack of cross-play and cross-save means many will want to jump back into their original profile. GivenMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakwill theoretically be more self-contained than an ever-evolving FPS (even with post-launch quests taken into account), ideally Capcom drops its update early in the summer so that Switch users can move toSplatoon 3later when they’re done. However, with both titles sticking by vague release dates there’s no telling when they’ll be out. The developers should simply aim to be conscientious of their fans' time so that everyone can have room in the spotlight.
Monster Hunter Riseis available now on PC and Switch.Sunbreakreleases summer 2022.
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