Splatoon 3 has proven how popular it is in Japan as it earned the top spot in last month's sales and has become the country's best-selling game of 2022. Throughout the year, a lot of gamers have believed that the second half of 2022 would be strong for Nintendo, as the company has some major releases planned. For example, Bayonetta 3 will be launching in over a week, and despite the controversy around Bayonetta's original voice actor, it could still create some good sales figures.
Then there's Pokemon Scarlet and Violet which are again likely to be big successes considering the established reputation of the Pokemon franchise. Even with those two big titles lined up, already 2022 has seen Nintendo titles jump to the top of sales charts, with the most recent example being Splatoon 3. The third game in the Splatoon series was a highly anticipated release, and for many, it lived up to the hype and scored some impressive sales numbers in the days after launch.
Now, it has been revealed just how many copies of Splatoon 3 were sold in September, alongside the fact that the game is now the best-selling title of Japan in 2022. As of the time of writing, the current numbers reveal that Splatoon 3 has sold over 4 million copies in Japan when retail and digital sales are combined. In the first days following its release, Splatoon 3 sold over 3 million physical copies in that country, and it seems the sales have been steadily increasing since then.
It's not only Splatoon 3 that has seen impressive sales figures in Japan; Splatoon has always been a popular franchise in the country. The game's predecessor Splatoon 2 sold over 1 million copies in Japan back in August 2017. While Splatoon 3's numbers mark a stark increase when compared to Splatoon 2's sales, this only speaks to how impressive the figures of the latest game are. Even now, Splatoon 3 still sits at the top of Japan's gaming sales charts, with no sign of being knocked off.
Splatoon 3 adds a load of new features for fans to dive into and brings back a lot of fan-favorite elements such as iconic weapons like the Clash Blaster and Octobrush. Splatfest events are also giving Splatoon 3 players more reason to keep playing the game, and one such occasion will be happening in November. With all of these things for players to enjoy, Splatoon 3's success may not be that surprising to fans.
Splatoon 3 is available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.