There’s no denying the fact Splatoon has become one of Nintendo’s most marketable modern IP. The first and now second game in the series has paved the way for a bright future. Even in the short time frame of their existence, the inklings have made a surprise cameo in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and were recently added to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster as official fighters.
With all this in consideration, the latest data reinforces just how successful the new squids on the block have become, with the second game in the series, Splatoon 2, returning the top of the Japanese gaming charts, last week, after a 48-week absence. It's likely linked to the recent release of the lovely Octo Expansion, perhaps illustrating how effective DLC can be sales-wise when done right. If this doesn’t blow your mind, this is the longest time on record since a game has returned to the top spot since the original Pokémon titles did it back in 1997 - exactly 89 weeks after launch.
According to Game Data Library, Splatoon 2 is estimated to sell more than a million units in Japan over the course of 2018, with its total sales expected to be closer to 4 million by the end of the year.
Are you still playing your copy of Splatoon 2? Have you tried out the new Octo Expansion yet? Tell us in the comments.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 40
Charts from 1997?
(Looked at the screenshot of Splatoon 2)
LOL
That Grandpa looked surprised to see an Octo Girl. He might said: "Geee.... What a sexy chick ! "
Pretty impressive. I hope Nintendo's next big new IP can be this successful. Love Arms and Sushi Striker but they haven't received similar success sadly.
I hope all this success will embolden Nintendo to continue to explore new genres and IPs.
Splatoon 2 has been phenomenal in Japan. I believe it was the first console game to pass 2 million units in a long time.
I believe it will stay around these levels for a long time to come. The Switch sells around 40k units a week in Japan and just around a third of them pick up Splatoon 2.
Congrats for Splatoon 2. May the game continue to thrive and conquer.
I am glad Splatoon 2 is doing so well. The original Splatoon caused some Wii U shortages when it was released in Japan. The sequel is even more successful.
Gosh, absolutely love this game and wish for its continued success!
@bluemage1989 ARMS and SS haven't measured up to Splatoon, true, but of all of Nintendo's franchises, only Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash, and Animal Crossing have actually managed higher sales than Splatoon - that's how successful it's been. That kind of success shouldn't be the yardstick by which we judge the success of other debut titles.
If Japan also had the E3 2018 sale, I can definitely understand why. I bought the game during that sale, and I've had a lot of fun with it, but I haven't got the DLC yet.
Good game, but gets boring playing the same maps over and over. Great for competitive people that love multiplayer, but I beat the original single player campaign, got a dozen or so levels into multiplayer rank, and played salmon run when it was available when I was home from work. Just didn't grab and hold me like some games do, so after a couple months I sold my copy to Gamestop. Just not for me, but clearly many others love it.
Haven’t bought the Octo expansion yet since I have too much to play on Switch, but Splatoon 2 is my most played Switch game by far and I will eventually get it.
Amazing performance
Many more expansions to come?
And I remember when some people on this site thought Splatoon 2 was gonna flop. Lololol.
If a game is good enough, people will buy it. No surprise here!
@MoonKnight7 Remember when people were whining about this game being a "port"? Good times.
Splatoon 2... the most underrated Nintendo game.
If Splatoon 3 is a 2020-2021 release, it's going to sell like 1.5+ million copies during the launch week in Japan alone.
Pretty crazy to see how big this franchise has grown in just ~3 years.
@bluemage1989 well I can understand why Sushi striker didn't get so much of a success :/ it is not for everyone. The same with Arms but I'd say it does pretty well since it already sold way over 1mio copies. Not bad for a game which's only fun if you move your body (arms) while playing
Awesome, really enjoyed Splatoon 2 more than the first one. I do miss some of the old specials like Inkstrike, Kraken and the Inkzooka though.
Very deserved! The Octo Expansion is just amazing!
@EvrgrnCmln to be fair arms sold decently with around 2 mil copies so far. I wouldn't even count sushi striker as a new franchise tbh.
Glad, fun game.
Little Nightmares and God Wars didn't do much of anything on Switch - that is a shame, they are games that fit the Switch well. Maybe Ys8 will be a non Nintendo game up there for a change.
Too bad the Grancrest Senki anime was lame
I picked up Splatoon 2 in the sale last week, I had a proper sit down with it today and I love it. I hadn't played any Splatoon since last year on the Wii U, and I had to adjust to not using the Game Pad, but I've found playing with split joy cons far superior. It's good to be back.
bought it last week for my son. great online game:)
@Dayshader
Haha, yeah I remember, people still say it too. A shame, cause they did change quite a bit.
I'm curious about the Falcom Classics on the Saturn. I assume it had old Ys, Xanadu and Dragon Slayer games and never came to the west.
My friend and I both bought Splatoon 2 since it was on sale, we were really enjoying it until we tried to play together, which apparently two people can't do during Splatfest... Such a stupid decision by Nintendo. At least have normal Turf War available so we could play a different mode
It is Splatoon 2! Smash isn't the only juggernaut anymore.
Nintendo Life was bang on the money with its 10/10 review for this game. It is phenomenal in conception and execution. A living masterpiece.
It’s the game that keeps on giving. Everyone with a Switch should have it. I wish they’d have monthly updates for Smash Ultimate like Splatoon 2.
We still play Splatoon 2 several times a week (we played today & yesterday) i own 3 Switches for my family of 6 and we own 3 copies of the game. We LOVE playing together online!
I bought the DLC and my wife & kids have played, but I haven't yet...I will though
The wonderful power of a good story expansion.
Here's to hoping we'll get another with Splatoon 2.
@mgnoodle Yes, a chart from 1997. It’s explained in the article.
what the actual hell NL, Splatoon 2 is definitely NOT a 10/10, no matter how you put it.
I’ve not been back to the MP in ages (it’s OK in short bursts but I’m not a multiplayer gamer), but I am mostly enjoying the Octo-expansion, the variety and playability of the challenges are excellent.
That said I really don’t like “paying” to play each level, I just don’t understand the point of it, especially if a level is very difficult and costs 2000 points to play each time. That can very quickly deplete your credits to zero.
I also still don’t get why I can’t use the right analogue stick to look up and down while using motion aiming. Doom proved it can be done without any problems. It just seems like the developers are being stubborn now.
The expansion is very good but also very hard. It made me quite determined to finish all the Octo Valley missions first.
@boop22 I mean, review scores are always subjective, but if anything deserves top marks then surely a full-price game that hasn't been out of the charts for months would be it? I'm sure you have plenty of valid reasons why it's not 10/10 for you, but it's hardly a leap to imagine that some people might rate such a popular game so highly.
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