Splatoon Demo Available In The Nintendo eShop, Test Periods This Weekend

At the conclusion of this morning’s 33-minute Splatoon Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced a limited test period for the upcoming title. The software will be available in the Wii U eShop shortly, with the chance to jump online this weekend.

You can jump into the ink during three different hour-long windows in the coming days:

• Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m. Pacific / 11 p.m. Eastern
• Saturday, May 9 at 4 a.m. Pacific / 7 a.m. Eastern
• Saturday, May 9 at 12 p.m. Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern

You’ll be able to get your feet wet (with ink) during these periods to give the messy multiplayer a try. Splatoon will be out on May 29 for Wii U.

Our Take
This demo-meets-server test is a good idea for a couple of reasons. Not only will it help Nintendo prepare for the game’s launch, but it gives fans who aren’t quite sure what to expect a chance to give it a try.