Free Splatoon 2 'Global Testfire' demo set for Nintendo Switch in March

Nintendo has announced that an open beta / demo of shooter sequel Splatoon 2 will be made available to Nintendo Switch owners during the console's first month on launch. The game's first "Global Testfire" will take place between 24 - 26 March.

Nintendo of America made the announcement in tweets published this morning (12 February) including a trailer and breakdown of how the limited test will unfold.

Unfortunately, the test will only take place during set hour-long periods over the three days but it will be free to all Switch owners.

There has been no official word yet regarding whether the beta will run in the UK and wider Europe, but the fact it's being called a "global" test certainly suggests that it will.

Splatoon 2 was announced by Nintendo during its major Switch reveal event in mid-January. The game is the sequel to popular Wii U title, which was a major success despite the console's small install base.

The family-friendly shooter subverts the established formula, pitching players in matches about which team can cover the most of any given map's surface in their colour ink. This puts an focus on shooting the environment rather than other players, though you can do that as well.

The Global Testfire's North American times are listed in the embedded tweet below. In the UK those times translate as follows (UPDATE: as now confirmed by Nintendo UK).

24 March

• 7:00pm - 7:59pm GMT

25 March

• 3:00am - 3:59am GMT
• 11:00am - 11:59am GMT
• 7:00pm - 7:59pm GMT

26 March (the clocks go forward on this date)

• 4:00am - 4:59am BST
• 12:00pm - 12:59pm BST

Nintendo Switch launches on 3 March with first party exclusives 1-2 Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Fellow first party games SnipperClips and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will follow in March and April.

Splatoon 2 will launch this summer, with further details expected around E3 in June, if not before.

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