According to a recently published report, Splatoon 3 has topped Nintendo's most downloaded charts for 2022, proving just how in demand it is in the country. The Splatoon game series is a set of third-person shooter video games developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch. The series centers around the Inklings, a race of squid-like creatures that can switch between two forms at will, and their battles against the Octarians, another race of creatures. The first game in the series, Splatoon, was released in 2015 and was followed by Splatoon 2 in 2017.
The Splatoon games are known for their unique gameplay, which combines elements of traditional shooter games with those of platformers and ink-based combat. The Splatoon series has been hugely successful, so fans were super excited about the release of the 3rd main installment of the game. Splatoon 3 was officially released in September 2022 and sold over 3.45 million copies in just 3 days of its release in Japan, proving to be a resounding success.
Nintendo has revealed its list of the 30 best-selling eShop games for Japan in 2022, with Splatoon 3 coming in at number one. The reports show that the game has not only performed well but has exceeded the expectations set for it, even when compared to other popular titles like the Pokemon series games. Pokemon Legends Arceus claimed the 2nd spot, with Pokemon Violet close behind in 3rd, followed by Pokemon Scarlet in 4th, while Monster Hunter Rise claimed the 5th spot.
For those who are unaware, Monster Hunter Rise was the most downloaded game on Nintendo in Japan during the year 2021. With many popular games being released in 2022, it's impressive that Monster Hunter Rise was able to grab the 5th spot, and it is likely because of the release of its DLC expansion, Sunbreak. It was widely assumed that Pokemon's latest games, Violet and Scarlet, would top the most downloaded charts. However, this was not the case, and it could be due to the different bugs and performance issues the games were released with.
Splatoon 3's popularity is due to its unique gameplay, which combines elements of shooter and puzzle games, as well as its colorful and vibrant graphics. Splatoon 3 is also highly replayable, with new content being released regularly that keeps players coming back for more. There's no doubt that Splatoon 3 is one of the most popular games in Japan, and it looks like it's here to stay.
Splatoon 3 is available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Siliconera