I was fortunate enough to be given some hands-on time with the new game during E3 2014 (be sure to check out our preview of Splatoon), but Nintendo also gave Game Rant the opportunity to interview project lead Tsubasa Sakaguchi and producer/manager Hisashi Nogami. We learned a lot about the game that was previously unknown, but one major revelation was that Splatoon — a game believed to be so heavily focused on the Wii U GamePad — will feature local multiplayer and a single player mode of sorts.

When asked if the main focus of Splatoon would remain on online multiplayer exclusively, Nogami assured us that the game would feature the standard dressings of a full retail title.

After learning that multiplayer will be an option for those looking for some good old fashioned couch co-op, I inquired about whether or not players will be able to face off against their friends on the same Wii U or take their buddies online via splitscreen. As it turns out, the developers will be taking local multiplayer in a completely different direction with Splatoon, courtesy of an exclusive one-on-one mode.

Since the GamePad is so intricately weaved into the competitive multiplayer via a map that’s displayed on the bottom screen, as well as the ability to instantly jump to a friendly player’s location by tapping the touchscreen, it would be difficult to bring those features to a Wii U Pro Controller. With that in mind, it makes sense that Nintendo has been working on a local local multiplayer mode that takes the gameplay in a very different direction.

“And, you know, we’ve progressed [in development] at least to that point, but in terms of what we’re going to do with the screens — whether we’re going to have one person on the TV and one person on the GamePad — we’re not sure yet.”

The game won’t be arriving until the first half of 2015, so there are still a number of changes that can occur between now and then. As is to be expected, there’s a lot more information that’ll be coming from the 40 minute interview we held with the developers behind Splatoon. Stay tuned to Game Rant for more details.

Splatoon will be arriving exclusively on the Wii U in the first half of 2015.

Follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.