Splatoon 3’s ESRB rating suggests inclusion of microtransactions

The official rating for the highly anticipated sequel to Splatoon has revealed an interesting feature that might be coming to the game.

With the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) giving Splatoon 3 a rating of 10+, one of the interactive elements seen on the game’s official listing is “in-game purchases.” Both of Splatoon 3’s predecessors do not have the same element listed, making it the first title in the franchise that could involve microtransactions.

According to ESRB’s official definition for in-game purchases, these are game elements that “contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premiums with real world currency, including but not limited to bonus levels, skins, music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades (e.g., to disable ads).” But Nintendo is still not giving any hint if there will actually be a microtransaction system in the game.

As for Splatoon 3’s ESRB rating of 10+, the board defines the game as “a third-person shooter, set in a fantasy land (Splatsville), in which players assume the role of a squid-like creature investigating whimsical environments. Players can use paint blasters/guns, rollers, stampers, and ink bombs to attack cartoony enemies and boss creatures. Combat can be frenetic at times, highlighted by gunfire, small explosions, and cries of pain. Some sequences allow players to use a sniper rifle to shoot blobs of paint at faraway enemies.”

Splatoon 3 will be released for Switch on Sept. 9. Nintendo also announced some upcoming events to celebrate the game’s release, including a tournament and concert that will be held as an in-person event in Tokyo Big Site in Odaiba, Japan, on Oct. 8 and 9.