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In a business report that Nintendo put out after an investors meeting on November 9, 2022, it discussed the contrast between the Japanese and global markets in response to Splatoon 3 sales figures. While the game has sold incredibly well worldwide, a more significant portion of the Japanese playerbase bought the game at launch. However, Nintendo has expressed optimism that this means there is room for the international market to grow.
Shuntaro Furukawa, who is the current president of Nintendo, was the one to answer the question. According to Furukawa, the initial sales figures of Splatoon 3 were extremely strong in Japan, which exacerbated the impression that there was a huge difference between the international and Japanese markets. In reality, though, Splatoon 3’s sales overseas have already surpassed those of Splatoon 2, making it a success.
Furukawa theorized that the Nintendo Switch enjoyed a lot of success around the time of Splatoon 3’s launch. This is due to the release of titles like Xenoblade 3 and Kirby’s Dream Buffet. Because Splatoon 3 came out amidst these strong contenders, it played into the existing excitement in the Japanese market. During development, the team focused on how they could make former players pick up this game. So the number of new players who started from Splatoon 3 exceeded expectations.
For reference, Splatoon 3 broke Japan’s all-time launch sales figures’ record in September 2022. In the first three days of release, it sold 3.45 million copies. Due to how many territories it appeared in, it is difficult to gauge how well it did in individual countries. But a recent financial report shows that Splatoon 3 sold a combined 7.90 million units within 21 days in September 2022.
Splatoon 3 is available on Nintendo Switch worldwide.
