Splatoon

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see Splatoon (video game). For the manga about the video game series, see Splatoon (manga).

Splatoon^[a] is a third-person shooter video game franchise created by Hisashi Nogami and Shintaro Sato, and developed and owned by Nintendo. Set in the far future on a post-apocalyptic Earth inhabited by anthropomorphic marine animals, the series centers around terrestrial cephalopods known as Inklings and Octolings – based on squids and octopuses respectively – which can transform between humanoid and cephalopod forms at will. They frequently engage in turf war battles with each other and use a variety of weapons that produce and shoot colored ink while in humanoid form, or swim through and hide in solid surfaces covered in their own colored ink while in their cephalopodic forms.

Splatoon
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Creator(s)	Hisashi Nogami Shintaro Sato
Composer(s)	Toru Minegishi Shiho Fujii Ryo Nagamatsu
Platform(s)	Wii U Nintendo Switch
First release	Splatoon 28 May 2015
Latest release	Splatoon 3 9 September 2022

The first game in the series, Splatoon, was released for the Wii U on May 28, 2015.^[1] A sequel, Splatoon 2, was released for the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2017,^[2] followed by an expansion pack, Octo Expansion, on June 13, 2018.^[3] A third game, Splatoon 3, was released on 9 September 2022. The series has received positive reviews for its style, gameplay mechanics and soundtrack, with the first two games in the series having been nominated and awarded several year-end accolades from various gaming publications. The series has sold over 28 million copies.

Splatoon has spawned numerous collaborations with third-party companies and established its own esports tournament circuit in 2018.^[4][5] It has spawned a manga series^[6] as well as holographic music concerts in Japan.^[7]

Gameplay

Splatfests

"Splatfests" are special, recurring in-game festival events that take place in the games, where players are asked a question and pick a team based on the answer that they chose. For example, players could be asked to pick between mayonnaise or ketchup,^[8] or if they prefer using a fork or a spoon.^[9] Similarly to the first game, Splatoon 2 features Splatfest events that include crossovers with other brands, both from other Nintendo properties such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate^[10] and Super Mario,^[11] and third-party franchises including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,^[12] McDonald's,^[13] Uniqlo,^[14] Nike,^[15] Sanrio,^[16] Meiji,^[17] Pocky,^[18] and NPB.^[19] For Splatoon 3, there are three sides to choose from and just like in the first two games, crossover Splatfest events will be included with other Nintendo franchises such as Pokémon^[20] and third-party franchises.

Players then play a series of turf war matches and contribute scores to the side they picked. A scoring system decides the winning side based on the overall score of those who played. Although all Splatfests in Splatoon 2 ended in July 2019, themes have been repeated since then, and a Splatfest with a unique theme, "Super Mushroom vs. Super Star", happened from 15 to 17 January 2021 in celebration of the Super Mario 35th Anniversary.^[11]

Due to the polarizing nature of the choices offered during Splatfests, the themes themselves tend to be the subject of media attention. The themes range from preference questionnaires (e.g. cats vs. dogs,^[21] arts vs. sciences),^[22] to paradoxes (e.g. chicken or the egg),^[23] or sometimes be part of a real-life corporate partnership or sponsorship with Nintendo (such as a Transformers-themed Splatfest with Hasbro,^[24] the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob SquarePants-themed ones with Nickelodeon,^[12][25] or one with McDonald's).^[13]

In most Splatfests, the outcome tends to only affect the player's level of in-game reward at the end of the event^[26] and typically have no impact on the overall playability of the game. However, the exception to the last Splatfest of each game, which has marked the end of developer support for the game.^{[27][28][29][30]} It was revealed that the outcome of the last Splatfest in Splatoon affected the story mode of Splatoon 2, in which the losing protagonist Callie became an antagonist.^{[31][32][33][34]} This was later confirmed by a developer after Splatoon 3's theme and setting seemed to be based on the winner of Splatoon 2's final Splatfest, "Chaos vs. Order".^[35][36]

Esports

Due to the availability of competitive game modes in Splatoon, competitive esports tournaments with sponsored prizing have been held as early as 2016 in Japan.^[37]

With the release of Splatoon 2, Nintendo established the Splatoon 2 World Championships and began hosting competitive tournaments in 2018.^[5][38] Teams of four compete in a series of online qualifiers or live tournaments to earn invitations to play at the World Championships, which are played at the Nintendo World Championships alongside other Nintendo games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[39] The event is typically held during Nintendo's E3 events and livestreamed.^[40][41][42]

Setting

Inkling

 

Two Inklings engaged in combat with each other, as seen in the marketing material for Splatoon.

Inklings are a fictional species of terrestrial squid and are the primary playable characters.

The player characters of Splatoon were originally anthropomorphic rabbits with the ability to burrow through virtually any solid surface. This choice was considered because rabbits are highly territorial animals by nature. However, the idea was concerning to the designers, who felt that there was a clash between the characters' appearances and the ink-based gameplay.^[43][44] Designers came up with the idea for squid-like Inklings that were able to hide and swim in ink.^[45] When designing the Inklings the designers centered around it being female at first, which they stated was because there were not many other female leads in Nintendo games at the time.^[46] The Inklings were designed to be teenagers since the developers wanted to give the image of a strong, rebelling character, while having the attitude of being "cool".^[47]

Inklings can switch between humanoid and squid forms. As humanoids, they are able to wield weapons. As squids, they are able to hide in and swim through ink.^[48][49]

The Inklings' aesthetic design have received a positive critical reception from multiple video game publications following the release of the first Splatoon,^[50][51] and have since become a popular subject for cosplay activities.^[52] The integration of the Inklings' physiological characteristics into the gameplay mechanics of the Splatoon series have been praised, as it allowed players to explore a unique tactical concept.^[53] Polygon staff in particular ranked two notable Inkling characters, the "Squid Sisters" Callie and Marie, among the 70 best video game characters of the 2010s decade; they were described as an example of how Nintendo elevated "anthropomorphized squids and made them into pop sensations".^[54] The creative decision by Nintendo to remove the option to specify player character gender from Splatoon 3 onwards was met with praise.^[55]

Development

Release timeline

2015	Splatoon
2016
2017	Splatoon 2
2018	Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
2019
2020
2021
2022	Splatoon 3

Splatoon was developed for the Wii U by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development. It originally consisted of a four-versus-four ink-based territory control game set in a featureless arena.^[56] The game was subsequently developed to incorporate squid-like creatures, now called Inklings, which could switch between humanoid and squid forms in order to be able to hold weapons as a humanoid, while being able to hide or swim through ink as a squid.^[57] In 2014, Splatoon was revealed during a Nintendo Direct video presentation at E3 2014, and a playable demo version was made available on the show floor.^[58] Subsequently, a time-limited multiplayer demo, the "Global Testfire", was made available on 8, 9 and 23 May 2015.^[59] The game was seen as a surprising reveal as Nintendo unveiled a new IP during the underperformance of the Wii U. The full game was released globally between 28 and 30 May 2015 and included a single-player story campaign mode as well as several online multiplayer modes.

Splatoon 2 was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development for the Nintendo Switch and was announced in January 2017.^[60] It takes place approximately two years after the events of the final Splatfest in the first game, an in-game festival event where players voted for one of the two protagonists, the Squid Sisters, and fought it out by playing a series of turf war matches. It was later revealed that the results of the Splatfest directly influenced the story of Splatoon 2.^[31][32] Splatoon 2 features a redesigned user interface due to the lack of the Wii U GamePad's touch screen, and includes new maps, weapons and abilities.^[61] A new player versus environment mode known as "Salmon Run" was introduced^[62][63] along with a new competitive multiplayer mode called "Clam Blitz" added in December 2017.^[64] In March 2017, a "Splatoon 2 Global Testfire" event was made available.^[65] A second demo which featured the in-game festival Splatfest was released on 15 July 2017.^[66] The full game was subsequently released on 21 July 2017.^[2] SplatNet 2, a service contained within the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app was released which allows players to view their in-game statistics, earn digital wallpapers by completing challenges, and communicate with other players through voice chat.^[67] During a Nintendo Direct in March 2018, Nintendo announced Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion, a paid downloadable content (DLC) expansion,^[68] which features a new single-player campaign and a new playable race of cephalopod known as Octolings.^[69][70] The DLC was made available globally on 13 June 2018. On 22 April 2022, the same day as the Splatoon 3 release date trailer, the DLC was added as a benefit to members of the Switch Online Expansion Pass.^[71]

Splatoon 3 was announced in a Nintendo Direct on 17 February 2021, now with three featured idols. It was released on 9 September 2022, as confirmed by a trailer on 22 April 2022 and was being developed by Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development.^[72] Splatoon 3 takes place about five years after Splatoon 2 ended, and, using the corrupt CEO of Grizzco, the Splatoon 3 story mode differs from any of the other games in the series. The game features new maps, weapons, abilities, and movement options, along with a new mode based on card games, known as "Tableturf Battle".^[73][74] An early-access demo titled "Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere" was held on 27 August 2022 with a rock-paper-scissors Splatfest theme.^[75] In addition, the Nintendo Switch Online app includes SplatNet 3 with in-game stats, voice chat, and other features.

Reception

Sales and aggregate review scores
As of 09 May 2023.

Game	Year	Units sold (in millions)	Metacritic
Splatoon	2015	4.95^[76]	81^[77]
Splatoon 2	2017	13.30^[78]	83^[79] Octo Expansion: 82^[80]
Splatoon 3	2022	10.67^[81]	83^[82]

Games in the Splatoon series have been generally well-received, and its unique gameplay has been credited as a successful reinvention of the third-person shooter genre.^{[83][84][85][86][87]} The first two games in the series have been nominated and won numerous awards from various gaming publications and organizations.

Splatoon won Best Shooter and Best Multiplayer at The Game Awards 2015,^[88] and was nominated for awards in Game Innovation, Multiplayer and Original Property at the 12th British Academy Games Awards.^[89] It received the award for Best Family Game and Best Nintendo Game at the 33rd Golden Joystick Awards^[90] The Japan Game Awards labeled it as Game of the Year for 2015 as did the British Academy Children's Awards.^[91][92]

Splatoon 2 was nominated for Best Family Game and Best Multiplayer at The Game Awards 2017,^[93] as well as an award in Multiplayer at the 14th British Academy Games Awards.^[94] It was nominated for Best Multiplayer Game and Nintendo Game of the Year at the 35th Golden Joystick Awards. The game received an Excellence Reward for Game Design at CEDEC 2018.^[95]

Splatoon 3 won Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2022, along with a nomination for Best Family Game.^[96] It also received a nomination for the Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game at the New York Game Awards.^[97]

Legacy

Characters from Splatoon such as the Inklings have appeared in other Nintendo games, such as Super Mario Maker on the Wii U^[98] and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe^[99] and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate additionally features a playable stage, Moray Towers, 26 music tracks, and an Assist Trophy based on the Squid Sisters.^[100] A crossover event between Splatoon 2 and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp occurred in September 2018.^[101] In July 2019, a Splatoon 2 theme was made available in Tetris 99 to commemorate Splatoon 2's "Final Fest" Splatfest on 18 July 2019.^{[102][103][104]}

The NES Zapper, which appears in all three games as a usable weapon,^[105][106] has become a popular collectible item following its inclusion.^[107][108]

Water guns modeled after the weapons that appear in the games have been sold as toys.^{[109][110][111]}

NPR reported on how Splatoon was different from most other shooters in the genre and has created a more welcoming community than other shooters.^[112]

In other media

Print media

Between January 2016 and March 2017, two webcomic series based on Splatoon appeared in Enterbrain's Weekly Famitsu magazine: Honobono Ika 4koma illustrated by Kino Takahashi, and Play Manga by various doujin writers.^{[113][114][115]} The comics were published by Kadokawa Future Publishing on 15 June 2017.^[116]

A Splatoon manga series illustrated by Sankichi Hinodeya began serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic magazine in February 2016, following a one-shot published in CoroCoro in May 2015.^[117][118] The licensing rights to publish the manga in North America was later acquired by Viz Media in 2017.^[119][120] In July 2017, a motion comic adaptation of the manga was announced and then released on CoroCoro's YouTube channel the following month.^[121][122] As of February 2018, the manga has over 800,000 copies in print and the series is currently ongoing.^[117]

In April 2017, a manga series illustrated by Hideki Goto [ja] titled Splatoon: Squid Kids Comedy Show was published in Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic.^[123] It was also later acquired by Viz Media, who translated and published the series in North America.^{[124][125][126]}

Music

The music of Splatoon is composed by Toru Minegishi, Shiho Fujii, and Ryo Nagamatsu.

In the universe of Splatoon, the game's protagonists, the Squid Sisters, Off The Hook, and Deep Cut, are fictional popstars which create and perform the music as heard within the games. As a result, a series of real-life virtual concerts featuring holograms of the game's protagonists have been held at various locations. The music of Splatoon has been described as eclectic and experimental. Much of the music incorporates genres such as pop, punk rock, hip-hop, metal, funk, pop-punk, and electronic music. Specific songs in the series include inspiration from genres such as J-pop, ska, orchestral, dubstep, reggae, post-punk, lo-fi, Celtic rock, jazz, jazz fusion, and punk jazz; music in Splatoon 3 also incorporates elements of world music, specifically from classical Japanese music, Carnatic music, samba, and funk carioca, due to the Japanese, Indian, and Brazilian influences from the members of Deep Cut.^[127][128]

In 2016, a concert tour known as "Squid Sisters Live" was held commemorating the sale of 1 million copies of Splatoon.^[129] The concerts have taken place at Niconico Tokaigi, Chokaigi and Niconico Cho Party in Japan, and the Japan Expo in Paris.^{[130][131][132]} Similarly, concert tours featuring Splatoon 2's Off the Hook was held months after the game's release since 2018.^{[133][134][135]} Recordings from the concerts have been made into albums.^{[136][137][138]} Deep Cut, introduced in Splatoon 3, performed live for the first time in Japan on 9 October 2022, one month following the game's release.^[139]

An official soundtrack, Splatune, was released by Enterbrain in Japan on 21 October 2015.^[140] The soundtrack to the sequel, Splatune 2, and another for the Octo Expansion, Octotune, released on 29 November 2017 and 18 July 2018 respectively.^[141][142] Splatune 3, the soundtrack for the third installment, was released on 26 April 2023.^[143]

The soundtrack of the Splatoon series has been widely acclaimed by both critics and fans alike. Ben Johnson in Pocket Tactics favorably compared the music of Splatoon to that of Gorillaz, Daft Punk, and Aphex Twin for its experimental nature, as well as to the soundtrack of Jet Set Radio, and praised the music as eclectic, avant-garde, experimental, and as "genre fusion to the max, in the strangest way possible". Johnson further praised the series' incorporation of the soundtrack with the game as a whole, saying "The games are set in dense cities, with a hyper fixation on fashion and music... As the world itself is so focused on music, it can't be mere background noise."^[127]

Notes

1. Japanese: スプラトゥーン, Hepburn: Supuratūn

References

1. Otero, Jose (2 April 2015). . IGN. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
2. Webster, Andrew (12 April 2017). "Splatoon 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch on July 21st". The Verge. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
3. McWhertor, Michael (12 June 2018). "Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC gets a surprise release tomorrow". Polygon. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
4. "Competitive Splatoon Is Ready for Nintendo Switch". Red Bull. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
5. . Get ready for the 2018 Splatoon 2 World Championship - News & Video - Splatoon 2 for Nintendo Switch. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
6. "Viz Media Licenses Splatoon Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
7. Webster, Andrew (23 January 2020). "This hour-long Splatoon concert features holographic squid kids". The Verge. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
8. "Mayo and ketchup go head to head in Splatoon 2's next Splatfest". Destructoid. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
9. "The Next Splatoon 2 Splatfest For North America Is A Battle Of Fork vs. Spoon". Siliconera. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
10. Doolan, Liam (6 December 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Inspired Splatfest Will Take Place In Splatoon 2 Next Week". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
11. "Splatoon 2 gets a Splatfest themed around Mario power-ups". Destructoid. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
12. Hall, Charlie (26 April 2018). "Splatoon 2's new Splatfest is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed". Polygon. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
13. Frank, Allegra (11 September 2017). "In Splatoon 2's McDonald's showdown, nuggets take narrow victory". Polygon. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
14. Brian (1 December 2017). "Splatoon 2 – Japanese Splatfest #5 announced". Nintendo Everything. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
15. Hobbs, Emily (18 March 2018). "Japan's Latest Splatoon 2 Splatfest Is Brought to You by Nike". DualShockers. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
16. Wong, Alistair (10 May 2018). "Splatoon 2 Gets A Collaboration With Sanrio Characters In Japan". Siliconera. Curse. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
17. Moyse, Chris (6 August 2018). "Splatoon 2's next Japanese splatfest ignites chocolate war". Destructoid. from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
18. Sato (26 October 2018). "Splatoon 2's Next Japanese Splatfest Is A Battle Of Pocky". Siliconera. Curse. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
19. Berg, Ricky (9 May 2019). "Next Japanese Splatfest partnering with Nippon Professional Baseball". Nintendo Wire. from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
20. Pulliam-Moore, Charles (7 October 2022). "Splatoon 3's next Splatfest asks a difficult question: what's the best pokémon type?". The Verge. from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
21. Wynne, James (5 July 2015). "Dogs cheat Cats out of North American Splatfest victory". GameZone. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
22. "North America's Next Splatoon Splatfest is a Battle of Art and Science". Nintendo Life. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
23. "Next Splatoon 2 splatfest will attempt to answer a question as old as time". Destructoid. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
24. "Wii U's Splatoon Getting Transformers-Themed Event". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
25. "Nintendo and Nickelodeon Bring the Next Splatfest to a Pineapple under the Sea". www.businesswire.com. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
26. McCarthy, Caty (4 August 2017). . USgamer. Archived from the original on 1 December 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
27. "Nintendo ends Splatoon support with final Splatfest". Metro. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
28. "'Splatoon' isn't dead, but it's still saying goodbye". Engadget. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
29. Hernandez, Patricia (8 June 2019). "Splatoon 2's final Splatfest is Chaos versus Order". Polygon. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
30. Allen, Eric Van (22 July 2019). . USgamer. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
31. "The Last Splatfest Actually Influenced Splatoon 2's Story, Holy Shit". Kotaku. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
32. "Splatoon 2 "Squid Sister Stories" On How The Final Splatfest Changed Callie & Marie's Lives". Siliconera. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
33. "Splatoon: Now That Chaos Reigns Supreme, What's The Future Of Inkopolis?". TheGamer. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
34. "Splatoon 3 not in production yet according to producer". GameRevolution. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
35. Fields, Sarah (8 September 2022). "Splatoon 3 Dev Reveals How Splatoon 2's Chaos vs Order Splatfest Impacted Creative Direction of the Sequel". Game Rant. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
36. Reyes, Jess; Yaden, Joseph (10 August 2022). "'Splatoon 3' release date, trailer, Splatfest, weapons, and story details". Inverse. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
37. Japanese Splatoon eSports Tournament Offers Over $1 Million in Prize Money - IGN, 19 August 2015, retrieved 15 March 2020
38. "Live from Squid Research Lab". Live from Squid Research Lab. June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2020.^{[self-published]}
39. "Splatoon 2 World Championship 2019". Gematsu. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
40. "CBS to air 2019 Nintendo World Championships in partnership with ELEAGUE". Nintendo Enthusiast. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
41. Lanier, Liz (9 May 2019). "Nintendo Details E3 Plans With Tournaments, Direct Video". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
42. "Nintendo aims to do competitive gaming their way". ESPN.com. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
43. Sullivan, Lucas (21 March 2018). "Splatoon could have starred rabbits, not squids, but Nintendo devs had questions". GamesRadar. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
44. Vogel, Mitch (9 April 2015). "A Splash of New Details Emerge on Splatoon's Development and Inspiration". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
45. Robinson, Martin (20 June 2014). "How Nintendo is reinventing the shooter with Splatoon". Eurogamer. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
46. "Splatoon devs on Inkling girl design focus, Squid Sisters, and more". 26 July 2015.
47. "Splatoon staff talk about the Inkling design, more on the Squid Sisters, and other topics". 17 August 2015.
48. "A Splash of New Details Emerge on Splatoon's Development and Inspiration". Nintendo Life. 9 April 2015.
49. "Paintball turf war: With Nintendo's 'Splatoon,' slinging vivid paint means having a ball". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
50. Oxford, Nadia (21 March 2018). . US Gamer. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
51. Roberts, David (27 May 2015). "Splatoon review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
52. "The Best Cosplay from Tokyo Game Show 2018".
53. "With ARMS, Nintendo is smart to recognize that nostalgia isn't always best". Retronauts.
54. "The 70 best video game characters of the decade". Polygon. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
55. Diaz, Ana (18 February 2021). "Splatoon 3's post-apocalyptic world destroys the concept of gender". Polygon.
56. . 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
57. "A Splash of New Details Emerge on Splatoon's Development and Inspiration". Nintendo Life. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
58. "First Impressions: Taking Aim With Nintendo's New Online Shooter IP, Splatoon". Nintendo Life. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
59. "You Can Play Splatoon for Three Hours This Saturday". Kotaku UK. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
60. Splatoon 2 Announced for Nintendo Switch - IGN, 13 January 2017, retrieved 15 March 2020
61. Webster, Andrew (18 July 2017). "Nintendo's excellent shooter Splatoon is even better on the Switch". The Verge. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
62. Frank, Allegra (24 July 2017). "Splatoon 2's best mode has a frustrating quirk". Polygon. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
63. Machkovech, Sam (18 July 2017). "Splatoon 2 redeems the most clever online shooter series in years". Ars Technica. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
64. "New Clam Blitz Mode Highlights The Best and Worst of Splatoon 2". Kotaku. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
65. "Prepare for summer with the free Splatoon 2 Global Testfire demo event, starting March 24th". Nintendo of Europe GmbH. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
66. "There's Another Splatoon 2 Demo Coming Before Release, and it'll be Splatfest-Themed!". Kotaku UK. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
67. "Free Nintendo Switch Online App Out Now, Here's What It Does". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
68. Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion Announced - IGN, 8 March 2018, retrieved 15 March 2020
69. Robinson, Martin (8 March 2018). "Playable Octolings are coming to Splatoon 2 in first paid expansion". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
70. "The Splatoon 2 Devs Discuss The Many Details Not Revealed To The Players". Siliconera. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
71. "Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion DLC added as Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack benefit!". www.nintendo.com. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
72. Jordan Gerblick (9 February 2022). "Splatoon 3 is launching summer 2022". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
73. "スプラトゥーン3：イカ研究所極秘レポート | Nintendo Switch | 任天堂". 任天堂ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
74. @SplatoonNA (31 August 2022). "Remember the discovery of the Tableturf Battle minigame in our Splatoon 3 Direct? SRL here—we wanted to make sure this competitive card game didn't get lost in the shuffle, so to speak. Collect cards, build out your deck, and see who can ink the most 2D table turf to win!" (Tweet). from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023 – via Twitter.
75. Hagues, Alana (10 August 2022). "Splatoon 3's First Splatfest Will Be Playable Later This Month In Free Demo". Nintendo Life. from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
76. "IR Information : Financial Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Wii U Software". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
77. "Splatoon". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
78. "IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
79. "Splatoon 2". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
80. "Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
81. "Financial Results Explanatory Material Fiscal Year Ended March 2023" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
82. "Splatoon 3 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
83. . Eurogamer. 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
84. Robinson, Martin (26 November 2019). "Games of the Decade: Splatoon kickstarted Nintendo's revival". Eurogamer. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
85. Machkovech, Sam (18 July 2017). "Splatoon 2 redeems the most clever online shooter series in years". Ars Technica. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
86. Foster, Braden (26 April 2018). "Review: Almost a year later, Nintendo's 'Splatoon 2' is only getting better". ocolly.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
87. Hern, Alex (25 July 2017). "Splatoon 2 review: return of Nintendo's ink-spraying Squid Kids is a blast". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
88. Sarkar, Samit (3 December 2015). "Here are the winners of The Game Awards 2015". Polygon. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
89. "Games in 2016 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
90. "Golden Joysticks 2015: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt wins five gaming awards". BBC News. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
91. (PDF). CESA. 15 September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
92. "2015 Children's Game". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
93. Alexander, Julia (7 December 2017). "The Game Awards crowns The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild best game of 2017". Polygon. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
94. "Games in 2018 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
95. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild And Splatoon 2 Awarded At CEDEC 2018". Nintendo Life. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
96. Plant, Logan (9 December 2022). "The Game Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
97. Bankhurst, Adam (18 January 2023). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored". IGN. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
98. Sato (9 September 2015). "Splatoon's Inkling Jumps Into Super Mario Maker In 8-Bit Fashion". siliconera.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
99. GR Staff (12 January 2017). "Nintendo Switch: Splatoon's Inklings Join Mario Kart 8 Deluxe". gamerant.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
100. Compendio, Chris (17 December 2018). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate-Themed Splatfest in Splatoon 2 Ends with Villains Victory". DualShockers. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
101. . www.nintendo.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
102. Garst, Aron (19 July 2019). "Splatoon is coming to Tetris 99 in a special crossover Maximus Cup". gamesradar. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
103. . www.nintendo.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
104. Phillips, Tom (12 July 2019). "Tetris 99's latest event is a Splatoon 2 farewell crossover". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
105. Webster, Andrew (1 June 2015). "Nintendo turned the NES Zapper into a paintball gun for Splatoon". The Verge. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
106. Iggy (8 December 2017). "N-ZAP 85 Arrives In Splatoon 2 Tomorrow". NintendoSoup. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
107. Baird, Scott (20 February 2020). "Get Rich Off Your Old NES Zapper (In Japan)". TheGamer. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
108. Wright, Steven (19 February 2020). "NES Zappers Selling For High Prices In Japan". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
109. Carter, Chris (20 February 2017). "Real life Splatoon guns exist, and they shoot ink". Destructoid. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
110. Amherst, Alessia (22 February 2017). "Splatoon Guns Are Real And Shoots Ink Too; Take A Look Here". iTech Post. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
111. Ganos, Jason (14 July 2017). "Splatoon 2 Splat Dualies toy coming to Japan". Nintendo Wire. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
112. Broadwell, Josh (19 September 2022). "How 'Splatoon' carved a welcoming niche in the brutal shooter game genre". NPR. from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
113. "Splatoon Wii U Game Gets 2 Manga". Anime News Network. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
114. "Splatoon To Get Two Manga Series In Weekly Famitsu Magazine". Player.One. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
115. "Splatoonファンの作家が描く「プレイ漫画」と4コマ、コミッククリアで開始" ["Play manga" drawn by a Splatoon fan writer and 4 frames, start with comic clear]. コミックナタリー (in Japanese). 12 January 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
116. スプラトゥーンほのぼのイカ4コマ&プレイ漫画 (June 2017). Supuratun honobono ika yonkoma ando purei manga. Kadokawa. ISBN 978-4-04-734573-7. OCLC 994636839.
117. "Splatoon Manga Has 800,000 Copies in Print". Anime News Network. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
118. Splatoon. 1. Hinodeya, Sankichi., ひのでや, 参吉. Shogakukan. 2016. ISBN 978-4-09-142215-6. OCLC 957257731.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
119. Piedra, Josh (19 May 2017). "VIZ Media Announces Splatoon Manga Based On Nintendo's Game". The Outerhaven. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
120. "Viz Media Announces Splatoon Manga Western Launch". CGMagazine. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
121. "Splatoon's Manga Gets A Fresh New Animation, Check Out Its First Episode". Siliconera. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
122. "Nintendo's SPLATOON Gets an Anime Series Adaptation". Nerdist. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
123. Splatoonイカすキッズ4コマフェス. 1. Goto, Hideki., 後藤, 英貴. Shogakukan. 2018. ISBN 978-4-09-142604-8. OCLC 1022975495.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
124. "VIZ Media Announces New Publishing Acquistions at Anime NYC". WebWire. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
125. "Viz Media Adds Junji Ito's Venus in the Blind Spot Manga, 1 More". Anime Herald. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
126. GOTO, HIDEKI. (2020). SPLATOON 1 : squid kids comedy show. [S.l.]: VIZ MEDIA. ISBN 978-1-9747-1554-1. OCLC 1128102907.
127. Johnson, Ben (12 September 2022). "We need to talk about the Splatoon 3 soundtrack". Pocket Tactics. from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
128. rawmeatcowboy (7 September 2022). "Splatoon 3 devs detail the importance of music to the franchise". GoNintendo. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
129. "Splatoon Reaches 1 Million Sales Worldwide, Will Celebrate With Squid Sisters Concert -". mxdwn Games. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
130. "Move over Tupac, Hatsune Miku: Splatoon's Squid Sisters perform live in Japan". www.digitaltrends.com. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
131. Frank, Allegra (29 April 2016). "This Splatoon live concert is equal parts weird and wonderful". Polygon. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
132. Jenni (12 July 2016). "Watch Splatoon's Squid Sisters' Full Japan Expo 2016 Concert". Siliconera. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
133. "Splatoon duo Off the Hook to perform live once again at NicoNico Tokaigi 2019". Destructoid. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
134. "Off the Hook Performs Live Concert at Splatoon European Championship". Shacknews. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
135. "K.K. Slider Makes A Surprise Appearance At Latest Splatoon 2 Concert". Siliconera. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
136. 株式会社インプレス (13 July 2016). "「シオカライブ」の音源CD「SPLATOON LIVE IN MAKUHARI」本日発売！ 「シオカライブ」フランス公演の映像も公開中". GAME Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 March 2020.
137. "Splatoon 2 Off the Hook Live concert CD coming soon in Japan". Nintendo Wire. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
138. Dennison, Kara. "Splatoon 2 Live Concert Comes to CD and Blu-Ray". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
139. Bosque, Chuy. "Splatoon 3's Deep Cut to Perform Live in Japan in October". Twinfinite. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
140. 株式会社インプレス (22 October 2015). "「Splatoon」のサントラ「Splatune」レビュー 「シオカラ節」の歌詞、イカ世界的ライナーノーツが要チェック！". GAME Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
141. Agent, Lite (7 December 2017). "Splatoon 2: 18,007 units for Splatune 2 during launch week". Perfectly Nintendo. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
142. Agent, Lite (25 July 2018). "Splatoon 2: Octune outsells Splatune 2 at launch, with over 19,000 units sold". Perfectly Nintendo. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
143. "『スプラトゥーン3』のアートブック＆サウンドトラックCDが発売決定。本日より予約開始。" ["Splatoon 3" art book and soundtrack will be released; reservation begins today]. Nintendo (in Japanese). 15 February 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Splatoon.

• Official website