'Splatoon 2' launches on July 21st with three new Amiibo figures

If you were hopeful that the Nintendo Switch's Splatoon 2 Global Testfire event was indicative of an early launch, have a seat: today Nintendo announced that the game's official release date as July 21st. That's smack dab in the middle of the Summer launch window Nintendo promised when it revealed the game back in January -- but at least you'll be getting plenty of new content for the sake of the wait. According to this afternoon's Nintendo Direct, Splatoon 2 will launch with a new PvE game mode and a ton of new Amiibo functionality.

In addition to the game's (yet to be revealed) single player mode, multiplayer teams will be able to participate in a PvE arena match called "Salmon Run." This pits four players against waves of enemies, and tasks them with collecting "power eggs" after taking down each volley of baddies. Beyond being a new multiplayer game mode, the trailer seemed to suggest that playing Salmon Run will allow players to unlock new items, weapons and gear.

If you're looking for an easier way to unlock items, Nintendo has you covered there, too. The game will launch alongside three new Amiibo figures -- a new shorter haired Inkling Girl, a fresh looking Inkling Boy and a new leaping squid character. Like the original game, these toys can be used to unlock outfits, but will also be featured as characters in the game that the player can take selfies with. They can also store the player's loadout in case they want to take their character data on the go.

Splatoon 2 launches on July 21st.