UPDATE (March 21, 2018 at 6:50PM ET): We added additional photos additional prototypes showing the original concepts before squid kids were created (check out the gallery below the article for additional photos). Summarize from GDC event regarding the rabbits: With the rabbits they would hide into the ink and shoot it, however the idea of it felt off and Nintendo moved on from rabbits.

During GDC (Game Developers Conference), a presentation was made, showcasing Splatoon prototype on how the game came-to-be for the Wii U. During the early stages, characters such a Yoshi and Mario were used in the prototype. Too bad we don’t see any cameos from the Super Mario series in the game but wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo decided to add them at a later date. We’ve already seen the squid kids in Mario Kart 8 and in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch.

During the conference, Nintendo shows how big title games, such as Super Mario Odyssey can impact Splatoon and Splatoon 2 and for how long. Nintendo has shown great planning with their games for the Nintendo Switch over the year. Concept art was shown off for both Splatoon and Splatoon 2.

Additional photos can be viewed below in our gallery. Splatoon is available on the Wii U and Splatoon 2 is available on the Nintendo Switch.