Splatoon has just had its first big weekend on Wii U, with plenty of players hitting the online servers to splat the ground and each other with ink. It's a new IP that's had a fairly substantial marketing campaign, too, so the question has been whether all of that promotional activity would pay off at launch.
We have the UK chart results in, and they're certainly positive. Splatoon has secured second spot in the all-format chart, only behind CD Projekt Red behemoth The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt; it's third behind the two console versions of that title in the single format charts. It's an impressive result for the Wii U exclusive, and is also the biggest ever new IP launch on the Wii U, overtaking Ubisoft's launch title ZombiU. It's the fifth fastest selling Wii U title in the UK to date, too.
After that we have to go much further down the top 40 to see more Nintendo titles, though some of the placings suggest a minor boost in hardware bundle sales. Mario Kart 8 is in 31st place and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is in 40th, both of which have bundles - the latter's hardware option was also discounted by some retailers last week.
Elsewhere we have both versions of Super Smash Bros. combining to take 32nd place, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate in 36th place and Mario Party 10 on Wii U in 37th place.
That seems like a strong launch for Splatoon in the UK, and there'll certainly be hopes that it can hold decent momentum into the Summer months.
[source chart-track.co.uk]
Comments 76
Woohoo! Very nice! I knew it could do well. Plenty of Wii U games been 1, 2 or 3 on the UK chart, and those were all with a smaller userbase. Maybe if they'd released it a week later it would have even been number 1. Although I'm sure Nintendo doesn't care about the position but the actual figures. Some weeks you sell a certain amount and end up 5th on the chart, while the same amount a few weeks later would reach number 1.
The one (very small) disappointment is the 5th fastest selling Wii U title. More people have a Wii U now than ever before, so you'd think titles now would see better launch weeks by default. Okay, it wasn't going to top MK or Smash, but I wonder what the other two ahead of it are? NSMBU and Wind Waker HD probably.
Hopefully it bucks the Wii U trend of short legs but probably not. The Wii U crowd are hardcore Nintendo fans who buy on day 1, and there's not the large amount of casuals to keep buying months after release like past systems.
Go Splatoon!
Good news for Splatoon
@Peach64 NSMBU is most likely one of them but maybe Super Mario 3D World instead of Wind Waker HD.
And this time last year, Mario Kart 8 boosted Wii U sales by 666% here in the UK!
It's good in context for sure, considering that the UK is one of the weakest territories for Nintendo. I was hoping for a little more, but this is a good start, especially if the game has legs, which I imagine it will.
In related news, it's apparently doing very well in Japan. It's sold out everywhere, and that's even with rumours of extra shipments over the weekend.
Great stuff! Sad that it isn't 1, but then again it is second, beating many other titles. The fact that it's an exclusive also makes it better!
The UK is probably one of Nintendo of Europe's toughest market (I swear so many people here have fears regarding their masculinity) so to make it just behind a behemoth like The Witcher 3 is no small feat.
Whilst I agree the game is a bit shy on content at the moment hopefully the free updates will come soon and it's still loads of fun (I usually despise multiplayer but here I couldn't stop playing just to buy more gear). I wonder if there may be a resurgence of sales once those updates are out (though considering it was technically a budget release in the UK I feel many would have just taken the plunge regardless).
On a side note, a friend of mine suggested that the way the game works, he wondered if it may have originally been considered as a Free to Play game. After trying it out for myself, I'm almost inclined to agree; just glad they didn't go that way.
I know this is REALLY pedantic but ZombiU isn't technically a new IP, but a reboot of Ubisoft's spectrum game Zombi.
I hope this success will prompt Nintendo to create new games instead of rehash.
@Nintendian And maybe they'll inspire the rest of the industry to not rehash, as well.
@Peach64 Haha I Never knew that - They did an Amstrad version of it also
This is great news for the Wii U and Splatoon in the UK!!
Splatoon for 3ds !!!
Yesss, Splatoon!
The Media Create chart this week will be interesting too. I hope Nintendo will reveal some number too and it will get 1M worldwide quick enough (hopefully they have good news at E3).
I really hope this will be a console-seller though. The lack of local (or focus on online) multiplayer might prompt some that's on the edge (or playing in their friends Wii U) to get one. A price cut and Splatoon bundle could sell wonder! I hope...
@Peach64 True!
@hiptanaka I don't care about the rest of the industry, I only care about Nintendo.
Damn good to hear, especially as some have said, with the UK being a very tough market for Nintendo (glad I did my bit though lol).
Good to know that Splatoon is doing well and hopefully this will be the wake up call the industry needs concerning the stagnation of mainstream games in general cough cough Call of Boredme cough cough.
Splatoon has also been ripped from the shelves in Denmark at launch day.
@BLPs 2 days. This is for the week ending May 30.
Picking up a copy today (in the UK), so hopefully I can help with continuing its success.
The UK is a very hypnotised state so I think the TV commercials have helped a lot.
Go Nintendo!
And as lots have said, it's funny how in the UK, when a guy plays a Nintendo game on his mates console, the game is great, they have a fantastic time etc, but yet NONE of them feel "masculine" enough to bite the bullet and buy the damn console themselves because once they've left your house, regardless of how many hours of good fun they've just had, Nintendo suddenly becomes far too kiddy again!!! Does annoy me that people are so sheep like, and find it embarrassing to say they have a Wii U at work on break or whatever, for fear of what their work mates might say, so they just buy another console to appease them and be "masculine". To me that just screams grow a damn pair and enjoy your purchase. I have nothing against the other consoles here I might add, it's just an observation this gen more so than any other. Go Splatoon
Yay for Splatoon! I'm luvin' it!
I hope Splatoon keeps doing well cause we need more new amazing Nintendo IP.
@BLPs
I'm a computer engineer by trade so as you can imagine most of my gaming is done on a PC, My current rig cost me just short of £1500 3 years ago, My specs will allow me at least another 3-5 years before i have to upgrade or replace. I know this isn't the case for most people as they either haven't got a clue and buy prebuilt or havent got an unlimited amount of funds to build something like i have. But what i was trying to get at is even with my PC i have also owned a nintendo console aswell and i had purchased witcher 3 but have yet to actually start playing it as splatoon took over my weekend.
@BLPs
You missed the 90s dude because when I was in primary school it was are you a Pokemon fan or are you a Loser, it was that simple to be honest. Also as the years went it was all about the PS2 which I bought with my own money after saving up for a year untill 2003 I finally got my own console.
I was fortunate enough to have awesome mates who had loads of PS2, XBOX and GCN games to play after school and so my dislike of HALO began.
Lol where the hell do some of you live, I've never been beaten up or had my 'masculinity' questioned for owning Nintendo consoles.
@BLPs
I should also point out that I did lot of borrowing as well, Red Dead Revolver many good time spent on that game and now for my favorite quote "TNT, Why couldn't it been Bacon and Beans".
And considering Game had it's shipment stolen in Europe, this is extremely good news. Who knows, perhaps that shipment may have pushed Splatoon to number one, assuming the Game pre-orders are not part of the sales figures.
It's a fantastic game and I love it. I really hope it does well.
@GuruOfGreatness
Only kids would act like that. And only kids has the need to show they are mature. So in my opinion it's the other way around. Nintendo is for the old retro gamers. Playstation and Xbox is for kids.
@FX102A Oh man the U.K is an awful place to be a nintendo fan! I have actually seen staff in game stiores guffaw in someones face over them speaking positively about nintendo, no joke. Its like the entire country wants nintendo to die. It was the same when snes was about. If you didnt like sega yyou wasnt cool. I wasnt a cool kid...
@BLPs
You could tell which character I used all the time in the multiplayer mode, also the only reason my mum gave me pocket to buy a PS2 was because my little brother decided to smash the lid of the PS1 disc tray repeatedly into the disc drive claiming it was already broken to begin with when the lid came off. As we all know now that problem could have been recified with some sellotape.
Stupid brothers are stupid.
Glad to hear it is doing well!
Very good result!
Well and truly deserved. Splatoon is the best game Nintendo have released in years, successfully capturing that 'Nintendo magic' better than any other game on the Wii U. I haven't stopped playing it since I bought it, & am itching for more as I write this! The Witcher 3 is a great game also
I'm happy that the game is doing well! It's always nice to see a new IP sell well, especially with the limited Wii U install base. Hopefully it will continue to sell well for the next few months and become a new regular franchise for Nintendo. I'm always willing to give a new Nintendo IP a chance since they are always built for fun.
Hopefully Nintendo will now spend more on marketing, they've put a lot of money into this game, and it sells.
@BLPs I have to agree with you on being bullied because you play on a Nintendo console. I am currently still at school, and although I don't get bullied (I only used to get asked why I post about Nintendo on my Instagram as its childish), I've seen many of my friends get called "Nintendo kiddy" and things like that due to them playing on a Nintendo console. And I know others who are scared to say they have a Nintendo Wii U or 3DS, because the Call of Duty kids will start bullying 'em. It's also impossible to bring out your 3DS in public without them all seeing.
@Marshi
A lot of that is Nintendo's fault though. They treated the UK like crap for years with late console launches, late or non-existent game releases, poor PAL conversions at high prices etc. They even farmed their whole operation to a third party until the late 90s. They've got a lot better but they allowed Sega and then Sony and MS to get their feet under the table. The NES and SNES didn't have as much of an impact here and don't have the same mainstream nostalgic pull as in the US or I guess Japan.
@JtotheY
Fingers crossed. I mean who knew? Who knew that good marketing helps sell consumer products?
@hiptanaka
Haha! 1up for you!
@BLPs Aye, let's hope it changes one day.
@Ichiban Got to agree with you man,it really is something special.The "Nintendo Magic" is definitely strong on this one.Can't wait to see how it evolves over the next few months.This will be the game the Wii U will be remembered for!
@kiigu COMG pre-orders indicate 150k FW sales. Even if it falls short of that number, it's still a far larger figure than what 3D World did.
What's so surprising is how addicting the game is. Once you start playing Turf Wars, there's no way you can drop the controller down. Honestly, that's magic right there.
Perhaps this WILL be the game that will turn the Wii U around? Let's see.
This is truly awesome news but now the question is how long will it remain in the top 10?? And how many has it shifted so far!!
@VeeFlamesNL
Well let's how well it does on the darkside of the internet....(looks up Splatoon without any safety)....Oh My God! Where's the bleach? My eyes, my eyes!!! GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL!!!!
@ekreig Not 'til June 19th, I think. So if we see a random boost in sales around about that time, there's why.
I haven't done my bit yet .. but I will will! Playing quite a few games at the minute, both my kids play the Wii U so my game time is limited, and I'm really looking forward to Yoshi's Woolly World next month so I gotta put some money away for it. But Splatoon will be mine some time over the Summer. I'm from Northern Ireland, never been bullied regarding Nintendo, but I remember at my cousins Wedding her new husband & brother were talking about gaming & they laughed at me for having a Wii, which I remember being really annoyed about! I'm been gaming since the C64. Badly bullied at school for being an MJ fan, now that was hard, but I always stayed loyal to King
@BLPs To be fair, unless you're obsessed with playing in 4K on multiple monitors or something of the sort, you don't need to spend crazy amounts of money on a gaming PC or even update it regularly.
There's a number of budget gaming PC builds that aren't a whole lot more expensive than the PS4 and X1. And the money you'll save from online fees and getting games from Humble Bundles/Steam Sales/etc. more than makes up for spending more.
I could then go on about the freedom it gives you (with things like mods and multiple control schemes) and the fact that a good PC can be used for much more than gaming...
Regardless, if the people you know are getting expensive PCs just to feel superior or something, I can see why you'd have that impression. Just wanted to point out that there are valid reasons why people go for them that don't involve the whole master race arrogance thingy...
As for your other point about people needing to grow up (mentally) and just admit to liking a product. Spot on mate, but don't think this kind of sheep mentality is limited to the UK.... :/
W/ the bundle not out until June 19 lets hope the Wii U gets a price cut at E3. And they releade at leadt the 5 maps and unlock ranked batyles before then.
I think its a great game and can have legs over the summer if they keep the content coming, and finally drop the Wii U price. My kids are in 4th and 7th grade and they dont know a single kid who owns a Wii U. Well their cousin 3 states away got 1 for Hanukkah but they havent put it online yet last I asked. June is a good time for a price drop w/ all the graduations and this game being geared towards midfle school kids.
Good to hear! The game is a ton of fun all around.
@darkgamer001
The PC market can be summed up like this Facebook is for the casual market, Crysis 3 is for the PC MASTER RACE, Goat Simulator/FNAF are designed for Youtubers to play while recording their faces & screaming the house down over stupid things to make a quick buck and games like Felon (look it up) are for the rest of the normal PC gamers who just play games for fun and not graphics.
Very good news about a new IP ! This game deserves its success (y)
Well now I suppose we can expect more new IPs from Nintendo then? Also my own game is coming along nicely as well as I just need to start transfer the gameplay ideas from paper and onto my computer now and play test the hell out of it.
Awesome!
The truth will ultimately be in the hardware results, as a game placed that highly on a system with a relatively small install base can't last months. Here's hoping it becomes the must-have thing this summer.
@CreativeWelshman I think the PC audience is too vast to be categorized like that (ex. plenty of people played Goat Simulator out of curiosity and for the lulz, not just to scream at a webcam), but I do see your point.
It just gets a bit unfair if we ignore the considerable number of niches PC gaming can fill
@BLPs You could, but as I said, you will be spending more with the PS4 in the long run than with a budget gaming PC..
I used to be Nintendo + Sony, switched to Nintendo + PC because I could see the PS Plus thingy becoming mandatory from a mile off. And I don't want to pay to rent games and access online features, thank you very much
But yeah, your laptop can double up as a gaming PC if you want. Don't let a bunch of arrogant fools put you off from giving it a go, that's my suggestion
I have to agree with how much shtick one gets for being a Nintendo fan here in the UK. But I'm not afraid to tell people I like them. I get people who are like "lol u like kiddy games" to people who are slightly interested in what Ninty are up to but wouldn't buy one of their consoles.
I have sold a few people on the Wii U and 3DS that actually bought them though.
But yeah, I'll tell a CoD/FIFA fanboy that Yoshi's Woolly World looks amazing. Don't care about the negative feedback. I'll like what I wanna like.
See Nintendo? It's the magic of marketing!
im hoping for a 3ds splatoon version later in the year
@CaviarMeths It should have good legs considering all the FREE DLC it'll be getting this summer
Excellent news.
New IP from Nintendo. Big marketing push. Big reward. Learn from this Nintendo.
I have to say, though. Even though I expected it, I was a little sad to see that the line in front of Target on Splatoon's release day was mostly there for the Amiibo releases.
Even with all that marketing, a new IP doesn't just land a huge success on day one. It will take roping people in to play themselves and word of mouth. So, maybe, this is just the beginning and the slow roll out of features will be looked back on as a very wise strategy.
@rjejr
So ready for a significant and trumpeted Wii U price drop. Maybe I'll buy a second one with a Splatoon game bundled in so the fam can play two-player same-room splatoon in turf wars.
If Splatoon continues to gain buzz, it could be at the center of a very compelling library now. Nintendo needs to re-advertise everything it offers because many wrote it off. It fits right into a certain competitive mass appeal with Mario Kart 8 and SSBU, but even the other games: just one example: Lego City Undercover stands out against current Lego games as much as it did when it was announced.
@electrolite77 I know, right? Would have never guessed it. I've never seen other companies do it either cough Apple cough Samsung cough Sony cough Microsoft cough
@aaronsullivan - " Nintendo needs to re-advertise everything it offers"
Nintedo Selects
Lego City Undercover
ZombiU
NSMBU
Pikmin 3
Ninnteod Land
W101
Throw'em in a red box, slap a $30 price tag on them, or less for the cheaper games, profit.
And they may make more profit for Pikmin 3 and NSMBU due to paid DLC challenges and Luigi levels. MK8 needs a new box w/ the DLC included in the price and a big picture of amiibo on the cover. It can still sell for $60 b/c the DLC is worth (oh I forget, $8 or $12.) MK8:Complete or amibo edition.
I bought a Gamecube for $99, not b/c it was $99, but b/c of all the great $20 and $30 Select games (may have been Players Choice back then). If they can't come up w/ new games for Wii U they need to recycle the old ones. LCU and W101 deserve an audience now that people know Wii U exists.
Do these figures include the stolen copies?
Having played Splatoo(ooooo)n a couple hours over the weekend, I must say as a guy who has played his fair amount of (and sucks at) CoD and Titanfall (a little better at it), there is an addictive quality to Splatoon. Even with short matches and repetitive maps, it's the one game that kept me playing (even though my body told me to sleep). This game and Witcher 3 on PS4 had me console gaming the most hours in a long while.
@rjejr
Would be great from a consumer perspective, but I'm not quite sure Nintendo is ready for a simultaneous price reduction in hardware and software. Maybe. Really, though, I think you are right. Especially if Nintendo can get on top of Amiibo sales. I think the timing is right. Blitz it as the second console you need for competitive party gaming. Everyone already knows it's for family gaming. No need to push that.
Cool.
I'm hoping it sticks around for a bit too. It really deserves it imo.
kids, if you don't have splatoon yet, get it now, because almost every wii u owner want this game so badly. and if you don't have a wii u, get it now for splatoon!
@aaronsullivan @JaxonH - OK, you guys are officially a bad influence on me. Went into Target to see if they had the "free" water pistol in yet that they owed me from 8:00AM Friday morning. No, they never got them in. Nobody knows anything. Maybe yes, maybe never, maybe tomorrow? I should just keep calling before I come in to check.
So anyway, go check out the amiibo section to see what's left from all the Friday stock - you guys did see my posted photo of all the Jigglypuf and Charizard, right? - so all I see is the usual Mario, Peach, Luigi, and new Bowser. So I'm about to walk away and on the bottom is 1 silver Mario. So I bought it. I got sucked in by the "Silver Mario Edition" star shaped embellishment on the box, made it seem collectible. I'm keeping it sealed in the bag until I get my water pistol, Mario held hostage. And if not, it's a Father's Day gift as I'm the only person in my house who doesn't own their own amiibo. And it's going for $20 on Amazon, so at least I got it retail.
But I didn't want it so I'm blaming you guys when I tell my wife I bought it.
And I'm still holding out hope for F.L.U.D.D. or silver paint unlocked in Splatoon. I'll only open it if I need to.
@rjejr
Oh no. Should have gotten that Splatoon 3-pack, instead! I hope you get your silver paint unlock.
Fairly good sign that it's only behind a highly anticipated multiplat. Gives me high hopes that the US and Japan numbers will be good too.
That's certainly impressive. I didn't expect this.
If anyone's disappointed with it "only" being 2nd they should remember it "only" went on sale on Friday meaning the witcher had 4 days extra to sell more.
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