Nintendo just revealed that Splatoon 3 sold 3.45 million units within three days of its release.
Here is the key statement from Nintendo’s press release, straight from president Shuntaro Furukawa:
“Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa) announced that domestic sales of the Splatoon 3 game for the Nintendo Switch system have surpassed 3.45 million units in the first three days since its launch on September 9, 2022. This is the highest domestic sales level for any Nintendo Switch software within the first three days.”
Nintendo clarified further that the 3.45 million units includes both packaged and downloadable versions of the game.
Splatoon is Nintendo’s newest kid on the block, and impressively an instant hit and best-selling franchise that immediately established itself as a pillar for the company, alongside the Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda franchises.
The franchise launched in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive, distinguishing itself as an online multiplayer game for the console. Nintendo also made it a selling point to make use of the Wii U GamePad’s features, so it used the GamePad’s motion controls for aiming, second screen for aiming the missile on the game map, and the NFC sensor to read amiibo. Most interestingly, Nintendo made an ‘innovation’ of having its maps and content on the disc, and instead of making consumers pay for that content as DLC, they simply had to wait for a slow timed rollout to keep fans satiated.
2 years later, Splatoon 2 was released on the Nintendo Switch. This time no longer able to utilize a second screen, the franchise took a new direction, this time utilizing what Nintendo learned from the first game. It kept the NFC amiibo and motion control features but also boasted improved local multiplayer and a more substantial single-player campaign. This time, Nintendo did not hesitate to make DLC but still produced a significantly robust package for basic players.
Both prior games also had outstanding sales in Japan. The first Splatoon, produced for only 150,000 units at launch, sold 80 % of that stock on day 1 (120,000 units). In the meantime, Splatoon 2 has the distinction of being one of the few games that sold over 2 million units in its home country, reaching this achievement only 2 years after release.
In total, Splatoon for the Wii U sold 4.95 million units and Splatoon 2 sold 13.30 million units. Expectations are naturally high that Splatoon 3 will match or exceed its immediate predecessor, but if this early sign is any indication, it will hit that landmark soon enough. Splatoon 3 has already received flying marks in its game reviews, just like the games before it.
Are you playing Splatoon 3 now? Read our little guide on the best settings you can use for multiplayer.
Source: Nintendo Co Ltd via Twitter
