Splatoon fans think they've found the franchise's flooded world map

Fans think they've found a world map which shows off the Splatoon series' flooded planet in full detail.

As a reminder, Splatoon lore fans believe that Nintendo's shooter series is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the sea levels have risen and much of our current world is underwater.

Indeed, the new map - apparently uncovered from the files of Splatoon 3's World Premiere Splatfest demo - appears to support that claim.

As posted to Twitter by rassicas, and spotted by Nintendo Life, the image depicts a shrunken version of Earth's familiar landmasses.

North America is now missing most of Canada. The top of Europe has become waterlogged, with the UK (or is that Norway?) now a floating squid-like blob. Australia has almost entirely sunk.

Fancy looking for the map yourself? Head to the Ammo Knights store and peer inside at its walls.

From the outside, a low-quality version of the map looks to be of a standard present-day Earth. Head inside the shop, however, and the texture changes to this higher-quality version which has apparently been edited by Nintendo to feature a flooded world coastline.

Splatoon fans have been hungry for answers as to the series' story for some time, and have scoured the games and their accompanying manga series for clues.

The inclusion of this world map appears to offer something of a long-awaited answer from Nintendo on the Splatoon world's origins - and perhaps a warning that if climate change continues... we'll all end up suckers.

As a reminder, you can try Splatoon 3 for yourself this weekend - though Eurogamer has some impressions already.