Splatoon 3's December update introduces X Battles and Big Run

Nintendo has announced a big seasonal update for Switch exclusive Splatoon 3, which is set to land on 1st December.

Chill Season will introduce fresh weapons and stages to the already-bursting game, as well as two highly-anticipated game modes.

Much of today's trailer is taken up by something titled Big Run, which is an event mode version of the series' Salmon Run format. Footage shows Salmonids invading Wahoo World:

There's also X Battles, which you'll only gain access to after becoming an elite ranked player in Anarchy Battles, and where you'll need to risk X Power as you swim your way up the mode's leaderboard.

Today's trailer also shows several new weapons, including an ultra-wide roller, several additional stages and a wardrobe full of new cosmetic gear.

Splatoon 3 first launched in September, when it smashed Switch sales records in Japan and became the console's fastest-selling game in the country. Globally, it shifted 7.9m copies in its first month.

"There are few surprises to be found in Splatoon 3's multiplayer or campaign, but it is the best Nintendo's spectacular series has been to date," our Martin wrote in Eurogamer's Splatoon 3 review, recommending the game.

"It's more Splatoon, and I understand if for many that's not quite enough. But also: it is more Splatoon, and is a generous new outing for one of the most polished, playable and impeccably executed series from within Nintendo's group of first-party developers. It's lacking the shock of the new, but with Splatoon 3 you're getting the sense of a special series that's really hitting its stride."