"Splatoon 3" is set to arrive next month on Nintendo Switch.
The "Splatoon 3" Nintendo Direct released last Aug. 10 was a full 30 minutes of thrilling spiels about the upcoming iteration of the teen-squid ink shooter game. In a few seconds of Shiver airtime, some fans sniffed the possibility that this character from the Deep Cut trio might be non-binary.
In the Nintendo Direct from mid-August, Splatoon 3 introduced us to Big Man, Frye, and Shiver. These three new Splatoon Deep Cut characters are considered to be a proxy for Splatoon's Squid sisters and Pearl and Marina from Splatoon 2.
Clues Suggest that Splatoon 3's Shiver Might be Non-Binary
A report from The Gamer tells us that fans have started to speculate that Shiver might be non-binary because Nintendo has not mentioned any pronouns for the character yet. In several mentions of Shiver in announcements and updates, the console company seems to be avoiding dropping any she/her or he/him pronouns.
The same report mentions that even localizations seem to not mention any gender pronouns for Shiver on purpose. Another factor that adds to this Shiver gender speculation is its androgynous appearance. Also, the three Deep Cut characters are colored purple, yellow, white, and black, the same as the non-binary flag.
Another clue that led many to believe that Splatoon 3's Shiver is non-binary is a line uttered by the Deep Cut trio in the Direct. The group said altogether: "We're not supposed to be anything."
Suppose Nintendo confirms that Shiver is a non-binary character. In that case, the Deep Cut member will be joining Juniper from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as the only character by Nintendo to not conform to any gender.
Splatoon 3's Shiver Is Not Non-Binary, Nintendo Confirms
In a move to settle questions about Shiver's gender, Nintendo's SVP of development and publishing Nate Bihldorff confirms to The Verge that the Splatoon character is female, contrary to popular rumors.
According to Bihldorff, the Nintendo Direct and its localizations may have managed to not include pronouns for Shiver, but her gender is emphasized in the game.
Despite this clarification, Nintendo has been very forthcoming about supporting inclusivity in games. In Splatoon 3, players will not be choosing between 'boy' and 'girl' for their in-game gender. The game will be letting players choose between different kinds of Inklings or Octolings. The options include styles that look masculine to ones looking feminine. In this format, players can instead be represented by their chosen gender expression.
In a report from Nintendo Life, Nintendo also acknowledges same-sex marriages. Last July, the video game and console company updated its Corporate Social Responsibility Information to recognize same-sex marriages as part of its employee partnership system. This move from Nintendo rays away from the current laws on same-sex relationships in Japan.
Splatoon 3 is set to be released for the Switch on Sept. 9 this year. You can check out the video here from Nintendo Direct for more exciting details:
