It happened almost overnight. One day in May 2015, Splatoon merch appeared everywhere in Japan.
Baby inklings dangled from kids’ backpacks. Squid-girl stickers adorned pencil cases. Convenience stores advertised raffles for figurines, coffee cups, and Splatoon-branded bags. This explosion of Splat-swag was perhaps more of a surprise given that the Wii U sold only 3.3 million units in Japan. Lifetime worldwide sales of Nintendo EAD's first ink-based team shooter would come to rest at 4.95 million units, a very respectable figure — especially for brand-new IP — but hardly an indicator of the utter phenomenon the franchise would become in Nintendo's homeland.
The release of the far more successful Nintendo Switch and the debut of Splatoon 2 saw the series transmute into a household name. And now with Splatoon 3 becoming not only the fastest-selling Switch game in Japan, but the country's fastest-selling video game, full stop (beating the previous record-holder, Pokémon Black & White), the series has cemented itself as a cultural touchstone for a generation of Japanese gamers.
How, exactly, did Splatoon reach heights rivalled only by Pokémon in Japan? New IPs from the House of Mario appear as often as shiny Pocket Monsters, yet typically move comparatively mediocre numbers or fall into relative obscurity behind the premium marques of Mario, Animal Crossing, Zelda, and Pokémon. Take Pikmin and ARMS, for example, which we adore but struggle to compete with the tentpole franchises when it comes to sales numbers or mainstream mindshare.
So, again, how has Splatoon risen to become one of Nintendo's most important series in Japan? To get to the bottom of this anomaly, we spoke to three Japanese Splatoon players (and former/current students of this article’s author) to try and learn why squid-on-octopus ink-based action appeals to them so much.
Low barrier-to-entry, low TTF
“The easy-to-understand rules are the secret to Splatoon’s appeal,” says Sota Ishikawa, a series veteran that has played regularly since the original. He’s currently a first-year university student and primarily plays Turf War with friends.
In a world of competitive shooters with steeper learning curves such as Fortnite (in build mode, at least) and Apex Legends, Splatoon exists almost as an antithesis. “There’s many reasons why I think Splatoon is more interesting than other shooters,” Ishikawa continues. “It’s easier to play [than other online shooters] because players improve quickly with uncomplicated controls and rules.”
Where other competitive shooters require a high degree of knowledge and practice to compete in, Splatoon gives something for every player to do regardless of skill: inking everything in sight. “My father is good at splatting opponents,” Taro Yamada (a pseudonym) tells us after showing off his impressive collection of Splatoon 3 stickers. He’s currently a second-year junior high school student who came to the series with the first sequel on Switch. “I’m better at inking. We win a lot of matches by working together.” The father-son pair often play after Yamada finishes juku (cram school), him on his Switch Lite and his father on the living room TV.
Splatoon is a low Time-To-Fun franchise
Chihiro Kawakami, another university student who hopped on the ink train with the recent third iteration, added that she thinks the variety of weapons greatly adds to Splatoon’s appeal. In Splatoon 3, there are now over 50 main weapons with a variety of sub-weapons.
“There are so many different weapon types that there’s a perfect choice for everyone,” she says. Want to go hard with the Z-Zap ‘85 or keep it simple with the Splattershot? Maybe something a bit more hectic like the Sloshing Machine? Splatoon has something for everyone, regardless of playstyle or ability. Kawakami herself found the Splat Roller easiest to use.
Of course, these anecdotal experiences can’t account entirely for Splatoon 3 outselling both Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokémon Sword and Shield in its launch period, but they highlight a key point that perhaps sets Splatoon apart from both popular team shooters and other huge games: the lower time investment needed to get to the 'fun'. Yep, Splatoon is a low Time-To-Fun franchise.
A typical student in Japan generally finishes class around 4 pm before attending club activities for a few more hours. Then, it’s off to juku to study and finish homework before arriving home as late as 9 pm. Part-time jobs and university clubs overburden university students in a similar way. For adults, work-life balance is a foreign concept, though they’re working on it. This leaves little time to invest in a game with a steep learning curve or without options to play how you like.
This ease of play isn’t unique to Splatoon. For example, the plentiful Moons in Mario Odyssey and the shrines and Korok seeds in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lent themselves to short, convenient play sessions. For the Switch, it’s all part of Nintendo’s first-party playbook. Splatoon happened to grab its Japanese audience even better. Turf War matches take up only three minutes, after all.
Inking the base
Japan hardly has a monopoly on time pressures, though, and we can’t discount the massive marketing push Nintendo has made in its homeland compared to the rest of the world.
From the very beginning, Nintendo threw its weight behind marketing the series. Right now, merch for Splatoon 3 is everywhere.
From the very beginning, Nintendo threw its weight behind marketing the series. Right now, merch for Splatoon 3 is everywhere. Displays in just about every 7-Eleven convenience store in the country – of which there are over 20,000 – promise prizes from entering Splatoon raffles. Yes, even tiny stores situated in rural train stations.
Splatoon-flavoured ice cream is available at Baskin Robbins (though we’ve yet to try it — after eating all those Pokémon donuts, we’re watching our weight), and kid-focused 30-second ads frequently run during the local TV station's commercial breaks.
“Recently, there’s a lottery I want to enter,” Ishikawa said when asked if he’s bought any Splatoon merch. He sent us a link, which we’ve embedded below. Prizes include – and we’re not kidding – a Splatoon alarm clock or soap dispenser:
Kawakami expressed interest in some Splatoon-based candy that convenience stores are selling, but it's the younger Yamada that has truly taken a liking to all things Splatoon. Yamada reminds us of ourselves when Pokémon first hooked us back in 1997; we had T-shirts, pencil cases, notebooks, and more all branded with Pikachu and Charmander.
Likewise, Yamada has covered his school iPad’s case with Splatoon 3 stickers and changed his background to match. A small plush of Little Buddy hangs from a strap on his backpack, too. And Yamada isn’t the only one. In any given Japanese classroom, it isn’t difficult to find some form of Splatoon merch – there's far more of it than of comparable Nintendo franchises and absurdly popular K-pop idols. At lunchtime during the release week of Splatoon 3, a request to play Spicy Calamari Inkantation over the PA at Yamada’s school was granted.
In the deep end
Obviously, there's something at work here that keeps giving gamers something back the more they invest in the game and its world.
According to an Iwata Asks interview, the development team spent ten months just adding "depth" to the game, which began life as a prototype with a tofu-looking white cube shooting black ink over a maze. This lump of tofu would evolve into a rabbit, and finally into anthropomorphic squids.
"Because of how it looks, some people might think 'Does this game have any depth?' but they shouldn’t worry," said co-director Yusuke Amano. "The game gives a lot back to a player who wants to get invested in it."
Later on, speaking with Satoru Iwata, producer Hisashi Nogami (of Animal Crossing fame) detailed how this depth — not only in the gameplay but also in the team's thought processes — helped create a squad-based shooter that felt like much more than simply Nintendo's take on a well-established genre:
Nogami: We were really lucky this time to have a lot of people on the team who are really deep thinkers. Even if we got stuck in the middle of development, somebody would put out an idea, and that would help us all move forward as everyone got together to refine it [...] that happened over and over again. It may sound like I’m blowing our own horn here, but I think we were really able to take things to a higher level on this project.
Iwata: I completely understand that. You were able to create a game that was unlike any other game in the world, because you had several people on the team who were really deep thinkers. This isn’t something like, "This is what XX looks like when Nintendo makes it," this is something completely new.
It's certainly true that despite having many trappings genre veterans will find familiar, Splatoon truly stands apart from other team-shooters vying for players' attention, games which are often tantalisingly free-to-play — which you might think would be a huge draw for younger players with limited gaming budgets.
Sheer (fresh) style is a factor, of course. Splatoon's vibrant, graffiti-daubed world and gentle cartoon counterculture is punctuated by unmistakable audio which takes centre stage, with in-universe bands and idols worshipped in-game and out. Real-world concerts draw crowds of uberfans, with K.K. Slider relegated to the support slot.
Much like its gameplay, Splatoon's soundtrack blends genres and global influences with abandon, but the music comes out sounding utterly unique; a fusion of percussive vocoder-laced techno-punk rock that sounds, on occasion, like someone drowned a Crazy Frog and blended it with Blondie. In a good way.
Add the game's creative attitude and music into the mix, and you start to see why it's struck such a chord.
Hangin' with the big hitters
Plenty of Japanese gamers play Fortnite and Apex Legends, of course, but Splatoon has tapped a cultural vein in a way only the biggest cultural phenomena can. It's created a youth craze where other new Nintendo franchises have generated merely a pleasant, measured buzz, and built upon its approachable, accessible gameplay to cultivate a legacy with both Japanese kids and young adults.
...demand for Splatoon 3 in its first three days on sale outstripped Nintendo's longest-running, most-established franchises...for such a young series to have joined the highest echelons of Nintendo IP is an incredible feat
It’s not as if we can’t understand why. We adore the series, too — we awarded the latest entry a 9/10, after all — but it's nonetheless mightily impressive, and a little perplexing, to see Splatoon 3 become the fastest-selling video game in Japan.
Think about that for a second; demand for Splatoon 3 in its first three days on sale outstripped Nintendo's (and anybody else's) longest-running, most-established franchises. Sure, the Switch install base is orders of magnitude greater now than it was when Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey launched back in 2017, and perhaps we'll see similar numbers when Tears of the Kingdom launches next year. Regardless, having such a young series join the highest echelons of Nintendo's IPs is an incredible feat, and with regular Splatfests and "large-scale" DLC on the way, it seems like there will be plenty for Splat-fans — Japanese and otherwise — to enjoy on Switch and beyond.
Whether or not Ishikawa and Kawamaki continue to play successive Splatoon games as they make their way through university and into young adulthood neither we nor they could say, but we’d bet ink-stained cash that Yamada and his father will be first in line to buy a Splatoon 4. After all, with unprecedented sales not seen since the heydays of Dragon Quest and Pokémon, no series in recent memory has infiltrated the lives of Japanese youth — much like an Inkling equipped with Ninja Squid — better than Splatoon.
Comments 77
Splatoon is Nintendo's Gears of War, except the battlefield is slathered in paint rather than blood.
Easily one of Nintendo's best first party series now. Really great to see it doing super well. I guess some people like good games.
No other game is like it, plain and simple. Uniqueness is it's best feature.
Well deserved, I haven’t enjoyed a competitive shooter like this since well before the original’s launch. Hectic, colorful, skill-based goodness that keeps you on the tips of your toes throughout each match. Not to mention the absurd amount of charm. Nintendo takes genres and perfects the best aspect of any good videogame, pure fun.
Creative attitude indeed. It's just one of many Nintendo IPs that appeals to kids and adults a like.
@Magician,
Or their Call Of Duty, it seems to be a winning formula.
Mr splatoon. Your campaign has the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why are you so popular?
Uh... If low barrier-to-entry and time-to-fun are priority, then why do we get so many deep 50+ hour JRPGs. Sometimes I feel like it's the only genre that comes out of that country.
I dunno. Tentacle fetish? 🤷🏻♂️
You might think that a video game series about humanoid squids and octopuses firing ink at each other in a post-apocalyptic, urban setting with pop idols and fashion sounds crazy, but many things sound crazy on paper, including a gorilla named “Donkey Kong” and two plumbers who use mushroom power-ups and stomp on evil turtles to save a princess. It’s an obvious tribute to Japanese pop culture. Splatoon’s cute and weird aesthetic really hits home. That on top of the addicting gameplay and light-hearted, family-friendly presentation that Nintendo’s known for is what made this still-young IP so big so quickly. You don’t have to be a shooter person at all to play it and enjoy it.
Tentacles and young looking characters in skin tight clothes. 🤔
The simple answer is it's the shoot'em up that works for the Japanese market.
Call of Duty and the like don't do especially well there and this plug a gap which doesn't exist elsewhere.
I mean, I fall off just as quickly as with other shooters, but at least I want to try to play this one, haha. The fact it’s not just about pew-pew-die and the variety in unique game modes helps a lot there, as well as just the fact it oozes with personality and pops with colour. The music I’m pretty eh on, same for the idols, but there’s a lot to love.
"BECAUSE IT'S SO MUCH FUN, JAN!"
I wonder what the sales ratio of Splatoon 3 is in Japan compared to the rest of the world. It doesn't feel like a big deal in North America, just more like your average AAA switch release (like Kirby ATFL or Metroid Dread).
They captured something in Japanese culture, which is about dressing in style, something Japanese people care a lot about, plus added something only Nintendo seem to be able to do, which is creating a control scheme that just melts into your hand. It wasn’t about pores in skin or levels of misery, foliage and rubble or rusty pipes or scowling protagonists, it was about what feels good while looking stylish doing it.
Splatoon is basically Japan's Call of Duty in terms of it's popularity with the shooter genre. Except the game trancends the shooter genre. It's still absolutely unique and is open for pretty much anyone to play. Splatoon 2 was the sole reason I bought my Switch because I was that intrigued by Splatoon 1.
It's a combo of the gameplay, design, world building, aesthetics, fast matches and music that just pulls everyone into it. The game still feels like a breath of fresh it when it was especially needed when the first game released among the aftermath of the PS3/360 shooter dominated era with only included the colours black, brown and grey.
Nintendo Quality + anime aesthetics + idol culture + just being a real good game. Perfect mix for Japan.
Splatoon is just a damn cool franchise and a fun game.
It’s one of the most funky/stylish games out there but doesn’t take itself seriously so it doesn’t offend people.
No one seems to hate on it like they would with FIFA, CoD and Fortnite.
Splatoon is just out there vining to it’s own beat, welcoming everyone young and old, pro and casual alike. This is what gives it such big appeal.
@Anti-Matter That's perfectly A-OK, everyone has their preference!
Some were skeptical that Splatoon 3 would be too similar to Splatoon 2. Glad that it has been well received! 😊
Because the game, characters and setting is made for the Japanese taste and market.
If they had created Splatoon with say like COD world and characters but exactly the same game, it would have not done so well in Japan by a mile.
I have Splatoon 2 and have started the solo missions. I am interested in picking up the DLC too.
I’ll get Splatoon 3 eventually, but probably a used copy down the road.
I believe it's due to it being an extremely Japanese centric series. Heavy focus on clothing and music (so much so that a song literally saved the world on multiple occasions), idol groups that have intricate and likeable designs, personalities and backstories and a bunch more Japanese references and culture thrown into the mix as well (for example the tanooki and kitsune heavily featured in Splatoon 1's hub).
Throw in some incredibly deep gameplay that's easy to pick up yet brutally challenging to master, a story that's both incredibly dark and fascinating under the hood and fleshes out the world to such a degree that it feels like an actual place and one of the most engaging premises that's fully capitalised on over the course of the series and you have a modern-age classic on your hands. I never really cared for Splatoon as a series up until I got 2 during the height of the pandemic but I can tell you with absolute certainty: it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Even tho this game is generally not for me, I love the universe. It captures that Nintendo magic perfectly and brings a fresh take on shooters.
@nitrolink Because enough people buy it and demand more to continue making them and have their own market? I swear, what is with all the JRPG hate recently? It's not like they are doing anything wrong.
I did enjoy Splatoon 2 well enough. The only reason I don't play it much these days though is simply because it's still kind of a pain to play with friends outside of Splatfests. I remember my buddy and I would literally play maybe one game on the same team out of at least 15 or so. It's a real shame because when it's working it's a good fun time.
splatoon was a risk that had every chance to fail but it payed off tremendously. couldnt be happier to see a new franchise be this successful and fun
I accidentally tried some of the Baskin & Robbins Splatoon ice cream at a party a few weeks back, although I had no idea at the time what this multi-coloured flavour was until I walked by a store advertising it near by station. It was surprisingly good! There was a few but I tried the one with popping candy in it and there was another with an energy drink flavour, maybe?
Many have mentioned and touched upon it. But besides being an extremely well made game/series, the world building and getting fans involved in it in a way only a handful of series have done is a huge part of it. Giving fans a huge feeling of ownership. It's doing that little bit of extra, unique thing to compete and distinguish itself from other more well known, graphically intense shooters.
@Lowell Lovely article. I’ve seen a lot of people wondering how an online shooter managed to gain such cultural sway in a region historically averse to the genre, so it’s nice to have a write up on the subject.
One small correction: I think the Z-Zap ‘85 should be N-Zap ‘85!
Also, I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that the Japanese National Broadcasting Corporation/NHK is largely financed by licence fees and so doesn’t really run commercials/adverts (other than for its own broadcasting, etc.). Most of the other channels seem to have their fair share of Splatoon CMs, though!
@Xiovanni I’m fairly sure that Splatoon 3 sold more copies in Japan over its opening weekend than the Halo series has sold there over its entire lifespan.
If the Bungie’s Halo left a gap in the Japanese market, Splatoon hasn’t just filled it: it’s drowned it under an ocean of technicolour ink.
@Lowell Bell: This was an interesting article to read. Thanks for that. I tried getting into it with Splatoon 2, but these just aren't my kind of games and I was really curious how this franchise got so popular.
Now I have a better understanding of that, thanks!
I played splatoon on the wii u, but it never hooked me
One word: violence. Japanese people have never been fond of violent games, so this game fills that niche for a non-violent shooter. Plus it's fun, easy to play and charismatic.
@Magician but Gears of War has a lot of offline and online game modes, including BOTS (excelent AI).
@boxyguy: Couldn't have said it better myself. Splatoon is generally not my cup of tea but I can definitely understand its appeal. I'm glad for its success and the enjoyment it brings to the fans.
So its even more popular then Pokemon now in Japan?! Probably because the game is based for a big part on Japanese street-cred (fashion, music, etc).
@Xiovanni halo was from the time when the xbox litterely sold 25 units a week in japan….
For me it’s the combination of the pick up and play nature, the gamehub that really platfest really gets me in a festive mood) and is consistent…. And my kids don’t reslly see, to be attracted by the violence of call of dute, for which i’m grateful
I wanna be the very best
Like no game ever was
To catch fans is my real test
To keep them is my cause
I will travel across Japan
Searching far and wide
Teach the players to understand
The power that's inside
It's the hyper-focus on youth (specifically teen-to-early 20s) and fashion.
Dont know about the Japanese but there has got to be something about it as its got my whole family playing pass the pad after each match. Even my wife is in on it and ahe doesnt really like video games. Its a game that we can just chuck on, have 10 quick rounds together with and then turn off if we want to. I just wish i could lvl up a bit faster and find a gun i really like with a special that i also really dig. We like the shark one 🦈😁
"Want to go hard with the Z-Zap ‘85 or keep it simple with the Splattershot?"
ah yes, the z-zap, my favorite splatoon weapon
@HalBailman
You're basically bang on, but you mean war not violence.
Violence is fine, in fact if you look at some of the PC game or even a few console games exclusive to Japan they take ultra-violence to a level you'll not see in the west.
But war games don't really go over well in a country where 80 years ago their Empire force them fight to the death in an honour war that wasn't very popular and ended with two cities being nuked. So this is a shooter that has nothing to do with real life conflict and doesn't feel like a traditional war.
Our family is from Japan but its because we love SQUID and FASHION. Its not that deep.
Good games, can't wait for the single player dlc like in splatoon 2 😃
Disconnect fest!!!!!!!! Absolute joke of a game at the moment
It's such a perfect series, my question has been: why ISN'T Splatoon so popular in the West? Japan gets it, my friends in the fandom and I get it, the Switch install base is gargantuan, so what's missing?
This article answered it partially with the focus on marketing and merchandising. It's just not pushed as much here. Marketing in the West is expensive and dominated by mobile/F2P games, or outright legalized gambling in NA.
I don't think aesthetics or culture are a big barrier. Fortnite and Among Us are colorful and stylized. We know what anime and squids are. The basically $80 entry cost could be a factor though.
White games journalists can’t help but talk about Japanese people like they’re aliens with articles like this. A bit racist. lol
I don't understand the appeal of any team-based shooter, Splatoon included, but I can recognize that they're very popular and Splatoon has a lot more personality than most of them.
@Dr_Luigi effortlessly cool and Splatoon is alien. The fresh factor and the way the world progresses helps sell the game.
So I got the Splatoon/Smash Brothers Wii U as a gift. I wanted it for Smash Brothers, because I thought Splatoon looked stupid. I was incredibly, incredibly wrong. Splatoon was the most played game on my Wii U and I posted so much about it on the Splatoon Reddit they grew to want me to shut up. haha I imported the clothes from Japan when you couldn't buy them in the US. I still buy their splatfest shirts. All and All, this game just speaks to me because I do not like violent shooters. A few years ago I just got tired of all the lifelike violence and I do not think shooting people is a fun excursion. I do not like glorifying violence. But with Splatoon, I'm not killing people, i'm popping squids with ink, not bullets. So I can get my shooter fix without having to watch gore and violence. The music is dope, and the variety is amazing for the weapons and clothes. This is my favorite game series ever and I look forward to new content.
Japanese society should change pronto. I doubt the new generations agree to live their lifes like their parents did. Be busy for the sake of being busy is not a good way of living.
It’s extremely unique, there’s no other shooter like it, and because of that it’s a great change of pace.
I personally never like too popular things that also really clashed with my personality.
A simple idea, but so effective. One of my favourite IPs in recent years
yeah Japan not as popular in the west
Good points. Although I only have 2 and had my fill of the series with that, it is easy to jump into (minus having to use NSO) and play for 5 minutes. The whole inking turf concept is unique and does allow less action oriented players to still contribute a lot by focusing on that alone, which is cool. I do like that 3 has even more weapon variety but that alone isn't enough for me to dive in for 3+NSO subscription when there's Fortnite and OW2 on the same console, for free.
I think a large part is due to the aesthetic, it's probably the most distinct thing about the whole franchise to the point where even people not familiar with it will have an idea of where that origin of it's art direction is from.
That and it's accessibility.
@Pigeon
>Is one of the best selling games of all time in Japan
>Isn't popular
What?
Splatoon is solid pick up and play fun. Their popularity is well deserved. I just wish Nintendo would offer split screen play of some sort with boys or online and a decent chat function would be great to.
Nan. It is simply because it is incredibly stylish, street stylish, high street stylish, try Harajuku, try Sendagaya. It’s fashion, it’s original and authentic it goes from its visuals to the music. It has a place and a feeling. It is not like any other online competitor, not even close.
Splatoon is actually not popular in Japan it’s actually not even remotely popular in Japan you see the thing is people actually don’t even play Splatoon in Japan.
I often see used copies of Splatoon in video game stores but never see used copies of download-only games like Fortnight or Among Us.
This proves that Splatoon is immensely unpopular in the region of Japan. Follow me for more insightful insider insights.
I’ll give you one short essay version. Mods!
@maxisingh05 I modded my copy into LBX World. The fourth following to LBX Wars. You’re welcome Level 5!
I put about 20 minutes into this game and put it back on the shelf. I know I'm probably missing out but there are so many games I want to play, and I am playing, that I was almost worried of getting sucked into a shooter.
I wonder why the game with lolis and tentacles is so popular in japan...
@TYRANACLES Yeah, no. Splatoon doesn't need a voice chat function. If it's verbal abuse you crave, I recommend Overwatch. Splatoon is perfect the way it is.
This is interesting, since most of the worlds toughest games have been coming out of Japan for decades. There must be some other reason than it's ease of entry.
What I found quite strange teaching university students in Japan, is that even those that didn't have Splatoon or even a Switch, would apparently enjoy watching Splatoon 3 gameplay on Youtube and such.
Mr. Nogami and his wonderful development teams for Animal Crossing and Splatoon have outdone themselves countless times. He is always a reminder that Nintendo isn't 100% traditional, and that there's always a spark for some kind of change every time he's involved.
Love the first one and Splatoon 3! Didn’t get into the 2nd one at all and that may of been just a me thing rather than the game.
I absolutely hate trying to connect to a game in 3 however. Don’t get to attached to being in a fun/competitive lobby because this game will disconnect your lobby the moment you feel that!
@Ursaking Sounds like you need some new friends then. Gaming can be a social activity to, it’d be nice to be able to have a private party with friends.
Splatoon 3 is so fun.
Bought Splatoon on the Wii U a couple of months ago. I still have to play it, but my brother (who thought he would dislike it) really liked the game and finished the story mode, and now wants the 2nd and 3rd game.
Because it is online game. The characters are looking pretty good. I am not sure I think it have story mode.
@TYRANACLES I don't have any online friends anymore, don't have much time for gaming these days because of my toddler. My experience comes mostly from playing WoW where people are absolutely disgusting to each other, which is why I'm glad Nintendo doesn't give players the opportunity to abuse others.
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