So Nintendo's version of team-based competitive online gaming is the antisocial kind?

I wonder how that works.

Why in the world would there not be voice chat in a team-based game? Nintendo needs to really wake up when it comes to basic online-multiplayer features.

The game needs voice chat IMO. It would make the game a lot better.

I just gotta throw up my hands and just forget about Nintendo and their bad voice/text system. I'll just use skype and bypass their babyness. Maybe in another generation, they will find the temple of mute button.

You sit in a cold dark room alone with your Wii U. Sounds like the perfect game for the hardcore!!

I love Nintendo but they SERIOUSLY need to get with the times. Just add an ON/OFF Voice Chat option, a muting option, and FRIENDS ONLY Voice Chat. Hell, make a party chat system similar to Xbox Live already!

Not to mention that this stigma is overplayed and largely untrue. >_>

With XBL and PSN, people talk in-party, not in-game.

Fairly certain the developer confirmed voice chat when someone asked during E3.

Or they could just add a mute button and add parental controls for voice chat.  It doesn't need to be more complicated than that.

Honestly I think the chat in Splatoon will be a lot more civil than COD if it does, and no doubt will, have voice chat. I think that there will be open lobby chat for people to smack talk and what not, and then it will be team speak for the remainder of the round. In a game like this communication is key. I can't tell on the map alone if my friends need back up or if I should be on the look out for enemy players that managed to surf by undetected.