Splatoon 3 splats through records in Japan, outselling Splatoon 1's first year

What you need to know:

• Splatoon 3 is the third entry in one of Nintendo's newest intellectual properties, with two entries on the Nintendo Switch.
• Nintendo reported that Splatoon 3 sold around 3.45 million units in Japan in its first three days.
• These record-breaking sales surpass the first year of Splatoon on Wii U, which sold around two million units.

To say that Splatoon 3 was highly anticipated by Nintendo fans is an understatement. The third entry in Nintendo's most successful new intellectual property is the series' second entry on the Nintendo Switch, and though there were concerns about whether players would double dip, this was not the case.

According to a report by Nintendo, Splatoon 3 sold 3.45 million copies in Japan within three days of its release. By comparison, Splatoon on the Wii U sold 2 million units in one year on the platform, and had 4.95 million in lifetime sales. 

You can read the official English version of the report below:

Though the game did not launch with explicitly new game modes in the same way that Salmon Run was new for Splatoon 2, it did improve on the current game modes available. The new Splatoon 3 idols, the ability to import Splatoon 2 save data, and the new quality-of-life additions are all new features that drew in both new and returning players alike.

Nintendo has assured fans that it would not only receive new content every few months in the form of seasons, but that the game would receive new weapons and stages over the course of two years. With Splatfests and Big Run mode, the Splatoon 3 community certainly has a lot to look forward to.

Splatoon 3

Fans of Nintendo's thrilling take on the third-person shooter can preorder the game today. It's everything you love about Splatoon — inking turf to win Turf Wars, customizing your Inkling in fresh gear, and tons of diverse weapons — now with all-new content. 

Buy from: Amazon | Nintendo