Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 Posts Record Sales in Japan

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo Co. Ltd. on Tuesday received a sales boost from its newly released title, ‘Splatoon 3,’ as the third-person shooter video game posted record launch sales in its home market.

Kyoto-based Nintendo stated that domestic sales of Splatoon 3 hit above 3.45 million units within the first three days of release, making it the company’s biggest Switch debut. The news increased the company’s shares by 5.5% on Tuesday.

That surpassed launch sales of other Nintendo titles, ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ and ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,’ which sold 39.4 million and 28.8 million copies, respectively, worldwide.

Launched on September 9, the third installment of the popular Splatoon franchise was one of the highly awaited video games among Nintendo’s list of upcoming titles this year.

Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 Success Eased Concerns Over a Slowdown

The success of the Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 helped eased concerns over a potential slowdown in the video gaming industry after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a boom in the sector, as more people stayed home playing games.

The solid debut sales indicated the continued interest in the company’s flagship Switch console, which sold over 111 million units globally, during its sixth year on the market and Nintendo’s ongoing talent to create widely appealing titles.

Investors are weighing the effects of a potential recession on the video game market. Nintendo, Microsoft Corp., and Sony Group Corp. had all reported declines in their respective video game sales in the second quarter as the industry’s pandemic-driven growth faded.

The industry has also pushed back the release of significantly popular games into 2023. Nintendo has delayed launching the highly anticipated sequel to ‘Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.’

While the gaming space faces certain headwinds, including supply chain challenges, the success of titles such as Splatoon helps the company maintain support for the Switch, particularly as the holiday season draws closer.

Nintendo has a strong line-up this year, with two Pokemon games set to be released in November.