April 9 is Going to Be the End of an Era for Splatoon

On April 9, Splatoon will see the end of an era as the Wii U servers finally shut down. Splatoon has been an incredibly popular addition to Nintendo's impressive roster, but its time on the Wii U has come to an end.

Since the first game's launch back in 2015, Splatoon has grown into a popular third-person shooter franchise for Nintendo. With its fun and colorful combat, Splatoon is a blast for many players. The franchise began with the Wii U, which makes this ending a bittersweet moment for the series. The Wii U's planned server shutdown was announced last year, and many users of the platform have been planning accordingly. Despite this chapter coming to a close, there is a small window of time for Splatoon players to enjoy the game on the Wii U.

April 9 will be the final day to enjoy Splatoon on the Wii U, so there isn't be much time for players who want to give the game a send-off in its original form. When the game was first introduced on the Wii U, many were drawn in by Splatoon's unique art style, but the first game will no longer be available after April 9.

The final stage rotations for Splatoon will arrive on April 8 at 10pm UTC. However, playtime in these stage rotations will be short-lived due to the servers shutting down two hours later, on April 9, at 12am. Although two hours isn't a lot of time to spend with the first Splatoon in its final hours, it's at least a small opportunity to enjoy the game one last time before the servers are shut down for good.

As one of the best games to debut on the Wii U, it truly is the end of an era. It's bittersweet that the first game in the franchise that started it all will be shut down, but there have at least been great follow-ups that are available on the Switch. Despite the bittersweet nature of the servers shutting down, there is at least comfort in knowing that the Wii U birthed a great franchise.