Splatoon 3: Splatoon x Pokemon Splatfest Start Date

Nintendo will bring two of its most exciting franchises together in November by combining the worlds of Pokémon and Splatoon in Splatoon 3's upcoming Splatfest, the company announced in a tweet.

Splatfest events have been around since the original Splatoon came out, and these events usually bring factors from other Nintendo games into the Splatoon universe. It's a nice way to show love to some of the publisher's other franchises, and this time it will answer an age-old question that Pokémon fans have debated for decades––which starter Pokémon is the best?

The event will kick off on November 11, 2022, at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). The event will actually coincide with the release of the newest Pokémon games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. In the new Splatfest, Splatoon 3 players will fight as members of the red, blue, or green team––which will coincide with the different starter Pokémon you can use in the new games.

This, of course, isn't the first Splatfest that Splatoon 3 has had, and back in September, Nintendo held its first, asking players to pick a team to help determine what the best item to take to a deserted island would be.

The winner of that tri-color turf war ended up being Team Gear. So, it will be interesting to see which team takes home the prize during this upcoming Splatoon x Pokémon Splatfest, which will feature Team Fire, Team Grass, and Team Water.

When the event kicks off, players will need to choose a team and then jump into the various games that Splatoon 3 offers. Of course, one of the biggest options here is going to be the three-way turf war.

Turf War is a game mode in Splatoon 3 that sees players fighting to color as much of the game arena as possible. In this game mode, taking home kills with the different Splatoon weapons isn't the big winner. Instead, you want to focus on painting the arena in your team's color.

Nintendo hasn't said exactly how long it plans to keep the next Splatfest going. But, it is worth setting aside some time on November 11 to check it out if possible. The three-way turf wars are one of the coolest events that Nintendo has added to the Splatoon franchise, and being able to take part in one will help decide the winner of one of Pokemon's longest-standing questions.

Of course, that answer isn't actually going to sway most people booting up Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet when they launch later this year.