Splatoon 3’s Tricolor Turf War is making a triumphant return in January’s Splatfest

Nintendo is making a change to the way Splatoon 3’s Tricolor Turf War matches will be experienced during the upcoming Splatfest.

As reported by Nintendo Life, the official Japanese-language Splatoon Twitter account tweeted about the change earlier this morning. These tweets were followed by English-language tweets with the same screengrabs. During the next Splatfest, players who queue for Tricolor Turf War will be guaranteed to enter one rather than being placed into a regular battle. This change will apply to both solo players and players in groups. Additionally, the Tricolor mode now has its own clout counter and will factor into the final Splatfest results.

Players have always had the ability to queue for Tricolor matches after the halfway point of a Splatfest, but entering that queue did not guarantee that they’d be placed in a Tricolor match. In fact, players would usually get standard battles instead, as was the case in the previous Splatfest. This metric has been adjusted a few times: following the pre-release World Premiere Splatfest, Nintendo decreased the frequency of Tricolor matches and added regular battles to the Tricolor queue in the name of making improvements to the game’s matchmaking. This adjustment appears to be a movement in the other direction.

The next Splatfest will start on Jan. 6 at 3pm CT and will run until Jan. 8 at 3pm CT. The theme is “taste sensations”: players can choose to be a part of either team spicy, team sweet, or team sour. The usual Splatfest festivities will apply, including changes to the lobby, adjusted stages, and prizes for the team that wins.