Nintendo announced that it will no longer be offering the Online Lounge feature for Splatoon 2 on the Nintendo Switch Online App, which will go into effect on July 28. The app will still allow players to use the voice chat, and no other changes to in-game services are being made at this time.
The Online Lounge feature allows players to organize online battles for Splatoon 2 using their smart device, by sending a URL link that lets friends join a room. Players still have the opportunity to use multiplayer modes by starting a local or online multiplayer game without using the Online Lounge.
The third-person shooter game was released in 2017 with a single-player story mode and an online multiplayer feature with various modes, such as the 4-on-4 Turf Wars and the 4-player co-op mode Salmon Run. While these multiplayer games are leaving the Online Lounge feature next month, it is likely that they will return in future games.
This discontinuation follows the announcement of Splatoon 3 during the Nintendo Direct event last February. There is little information on the game currently besides a release date tentatively scheduled for sometime in 2022. However, Nintendo did confirm that the Turf Wars multiplayer mode will return to the game with new stages, maneuvers and weapons.
Splatoon 2 players have a little over a month to get their fix of the Online Lounge feature before it disappears at the end of July. But with Splatoon 3 on the horizon, there will be more opportunities to experience the franchise’s multiplayer modes online in the near future.