Splatoon 3 only recently launched on September 9, but it has had a fantastic month of sales. According to Nintendo, the publisher of the game, it sold a total of 3.45 million units in the first week. That total includes both digital and physical copies though. While digital copies of games are thriving in general, customers are still buying physical copies as well for a variety of reasons, including the satisfaction of displaying their game collection.
For the Nintendo Switch game Splatoon 3, the physical copy was very popular. Japan, for example, sold about 2.743 million physical copies of Splatoon 3 in September alone. Since 3.9 million physical games were reportedly sold that month, that would mean that the messy third-person shooter game made up 69% of all physical games sold in Japan in September. That is no small feat!
The 2.743 million units sold in its launch month is an impressive record that beats out even Animal Crossing: New Horizons by 600,000 units. To be fair though, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 2.608 million units in its first two weeks compared to Splatoon 3‘s first three weeks, so the two definitely have a close match.
Nintendo Switch games were some of the most popular in Japan, mostly occupying the country’s Top 10 list. However, Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Offline and Earth Defense 6 were two PlayStation games that snuck on the list as well. So it seems like people enjoy their physical copies of Nintendo Switch games, and they really like the Splatoon franchise. “Splatoon 2 sold 4.03 million copies as of March 2022,” according to Famitsu.
If you’re unfamiliar with the game, Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter game that can be played in single-player mode with a story component or as a PvP or PvE multiplayer mode. You choose to be a little squid-humanoid, an Inkling, or an octopus-humanoid, an Octoling. Each has two modes where you can either run and hold your weapon as a humanoid, or you can turn into a squid or octopus and utilize the ink to climb walls and swim quickly. The ink in question comes from the weapons you use. Putting the “splat” in Splatoon, use weapons like rollers or guns to shoot ink onto the ground and other objects. The ink allows you to gain territory and defy gravity, so it’s a unique form of game transportation. By playing the multiplayer mode called Turf War, you can see this in action as two teams of four face off. Each team will have their own ink color, and the winner is the team who is able to cover the most territory.
Games that offer both multiplayer and single-player elements generally offer positive experiences for players. Whether you have a dedicated crew or just want to take it easy, Splatoon 3 has a little something for you. Considering that it has been called basically an upgrade of its predecessor doesn’t seem to matter. The game is fun, so check it out on Nintendo Switch if you can.