About Us
Get to know our history
The Squid Social team breathes passion.
The Squid Social organizers continuously innovate in leaps and bounds to make their events happen. Our founder, Pastecat built Squid Social into the community wide staple it is today. Squid Social is no longer just a small meeting between friends, but a professional event that players have grown to love.
Professional organizations place their trust in the Squid Social team.
Humble Beginnings
The vision of simply two people kickstarted this nine year endeavor.
The beginnings of Squid Social can be traced all the way back to the release of Splatoon 1. Community figurehead Pastecat had been wanting to celebrate the release of Splatoon for the Wii U. Inspired by the thriving Smash Bros. scene in Toronto, he wanted to bring that same energy to Splatoon. Together with another member of the Smash community, he set out to create a space where local players could come together to celebrate the launch of Splatoon and build a new community around it.
The First Squid Social
The very event deciding the entire future of Squid Social.
As the first event came together, Pastecat found himself taking on the entire project alone. Hosted at A&C Games in Toronto, the first Squid Social was a complete success even despite the mental and financial burden of working with the Wii U in a LAN environment. This sparked the start of a grassroots community and proved that Splatoon had genuine potential to be longstanding.
Dedication
Powering through all hurdles to continue building momentum.
With the momentum behind him, Pastecat continued to invest his time, effort and resources to keep the Squid Socials growing. Early gatherings took place at A&C Games before expanding into larger venues like Power-Up Game Bar. It was no small feat facing the logistical hurdles like cramming dozens of monitors into a single car, but the dedication and drive never wavered.
A Bigger Stage
Hard work finally recognized.
The release of Splatoon 2 on the Nintendo Switch revitalized the scene, pushing it to greater heights. Attendance grew, and Nintendo of Canada even took notice of Pastecat's efforts. At the 2017 Fan Expo event, Nintendo of Canada reached out for help at running a tournament featuring the players in the local community that Pastecat fostered himself. This marked the turning point where Squid Social had been recognized as a staple in the Canadian Splatoon scene. What started as a small local gathering had grown into a recognizable part of the greater Splatoon community.
Passing the Torch
Greatness comes in many forms.
After years of growth under Pastecat's leadership, the Squid Social events had become a staple in the GTA. However Pastecat knew it was time for Squid Social to enter a new chapter. Starting with Squid Social 17, Pastecat passed the torch to IceFlinger, and Pastecat attended his final event at Squid Social 20. Since then, Ice had continued pushing Pastecat's vision of building a welcoming community for Splatoon players around the GTA.