{"id":128310,"date":"2022-09-23T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-137709"},"modified":"2022-09-23T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T19:00:00","slug":"feature-with-sales-outpacing-pokemon-why-is-splatoon-so-popular-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/09\/23\/feature-with-sales-outpacing-pokemon-why-is-splatoon-so-popular-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: With Sales Outpacing Pok\u00e9mon, Why Is Splatoon So Popular In Japan?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Splatoon<\/a>
Image: Nintendo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It happened almost overnight. One day in May 2015, Splatoon<\/strong><\/a> merch appeared everywhere<\/em> in Japan.<\/p>\n

Baby inklings dangled from kids\u2019 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>, a very respectable figure \u2014 especially for brand-new IP \u2014 but hardly an indicator of the utter phenomenon the franchise would become in Nintendo’s homeland.<\/p>\n

The release of the far more successful Nintendo Switch<\/a> and the debut of Splatoon 2<\/strong><\/a> saw the series transmute into a household name. And now with Splatoon 3<\/strong><\/a> becoming not only the fastest-selling Switch game in Japan<\/a>, but the country’s fastest-selling video game, full stop<\/a> (beating the previous record-holder, Pok\u00e9mon Black & White<\/a>), the series has cemented itself as a cultural touchstone for a generation of Japanese gamers.<\/p>\n

How, exactly, did Splatoon reach heights rivalled only by Pok\u00e9mon<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, Animal Crossing<\/strong>, Zelda<\/strong>, and Pok\u00e9mon. Take Pikmin<\/strong><\/a> and ARMS<\/strong><\/a>, for example, which we adore but struggle to compete with the tentpole franchises when it comes to sales numbers or mainstream mindshare.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s author) to try and learn why squid-on-octopus ink-based action appeals to them so much.<\/p>\n

Low barrier-to-entry, low TTF<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe easy-to-understand rules are the secret to Splatoon\u2019s appeal,\u201d says Sota Ishikawa, a series veteran that has played regularly since the original. He\u2019s currently a first-year university student and primarily plays Turf War with friends.<\/p>\n

In a world of competitive shooters with steeper learning curves such as Fortnite<\/strong><\/a> (in build mode, at least) and Apex Legends<\/strong><\/a>, Splatoon exists almost as an antithesis. \u201cThere\u2019s many reasons why I think Splatoon is more interesting than other shooters,\u201d Ishikawa continues. \u201cIt\u2019s easier to play [than other online shooters] because players improve quickly with uncomplicated controls and rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Splatoon<\/a>
Image: Nintendo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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. \u201cMy father is good at splatting opponents,\u201d Taro Yamada (a pseudonym) tells us after showing off his impressive collection of Splatoon 3 stickers. He\u2019s currently a second-year junior high school student who came to the series with the first sequel on Switch. \u201cI\u2019m better at inking. We win a lot of matches by working together.\u201d The father-son pair often play after Yamada finishes juku<\/em> (cram school), him on his Switch Lite and his father on the living room TV.<\/p>\n

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Splatoon is a low Time-To-Fun franchise<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u2019s appeal. In Splatoon 3, there are now over 50 main weapons<\/a> with a variety of sub-weapons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many different weapon types that there\u2019s a perfect choice for everyone,\u201d she says. Want to go hard with the Z-Zap \u201885 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.<\/p>\n

Of course, these anecdotal experiences can\u2019t account entirely for Splatoon 3 outselling both Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/strong><\/a> and Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield<\/strong><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Splatoon<\/a>
A very small sample of the available Splatoon swag. \u2014 Image: Nintendo Life \/ Lowell Bell<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A typical student in Japan generally finishes class around 4 pm before attending club activities for a few more hours. Then, it\u2019s 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\u2019re working on it<\/a>. This leaves little time to invest in a game with a steep learning curve or without options to play how you like.<\/p>\n

This ease of play isn\u2019t unique to Splatoon. For example, the plentiful Moons in Mario Odyssey<\/strong><\/a> and the shrines and Korok seeds in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/strong><\/a> lent themselves to short, convenient play sessions. For the Switch, it\u2019s all part of Nintendo\u2019s first-party playbook. Splatoon happened to grab its Japanese audience even better. Turf War matches take up only three minutes, after all.<\/p>\n

Inking the base<\/h2>\n

Japan hardly has a monopoly on time pressures, though, and we can\u2019t discount the massive marketing push Nintendo has made in its homeland compared to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

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From the very beginning, Nintendo threw its weight behind marketing the series. Right now, merch for Splatoon 3 is everywhere<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

From the very beginning, Nintendo threw its weight behind marketing the series. Right now, merch for Splatoon 3 is everywhere<\/em>. Displays in just about every 7-Eleven convenience store in the country \u2013 of which there are over 20,000 \u2013 promise prizes from entering Splatoon raffles. Yes, even tiny stores situated in rural train stations.<\/p>\n

Splatoon-flavoured ice cream is available at Baskin Robbins<\/a> (though we\u2019ve yet to try it \u2014 after eating all those Pok\u00e9mon donuts<\/a>, we\u2019re watching our weight), and kid-focused 30-second ads<\/a> frequently run during the National Broadcasting Corporation\u2019s commercial breaks.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently, there\u2019s a lottery I want to enter,\u201d Ishikawa said when asked if he\u2019s bought any Splatoon merch. He sent us a link, which we\u2019ve embedded below. Prizes include \u2013 and we\u2019re not kidding \u2013 a Splatoon alarm clock or soap dispenser:<\/p>\n