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AFP: 'Splatoon' outdoes 'Smash Bros' in Japan (w/ Neogaf mention in article)
- Thread starter Tripon
- Start date
Bamboo Boy
Neo Member
Good for you, young developers at Nintendo! I hope you can bring us more of your "fresh" ideas.
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
If you told me a few years ago that Nintendo would be the ones to provide the breakthrough for online shooters in Japan, I wouldn't have believed it.
In a way I find it to be both surprising, and not surprising at all. It feels to me like most of the advancement of the modern shooter market has focused primarily on adding features on top of the existing online shooter framework. Different combat modes (even though Team Deathmatch seems to dominate most players' thinking anyway), different iterations of perk selection and loadouts and the like, and Splatoon does do some of that as well. But it also feels like it's taking the basics of the genre (move, aim, shoot) and starting from scratch from there. It uses a setting in large contrast with really any other major-market online shooter, and the mechanic of using ink for territory control, ammunition, stealth, and your primary means of movement all in one makes for a single resource to keep track of while performing a number of more advanced functions. As it pertains to Japan and younger players in particular, the fact that the game's core mode is not a simple deathmatch also goes a long way because the game encourages you to play and improve even without having to necessarily be great at direct confrontations with other players.
I guess what I mean is, you wouldn't think at first that Nintendo could make a hugely-successful online shooter because they haven't really done it before, but they did it by focusing on accessibility and bucking genre conventions in unusual-but-elegant ways, and that's an approach to design that's very Nintendo-esque.
Garou
Member
You don't know what that means, do you?
Even though I prefer Smash to Splatoon by a large amount, it's good to see a new IP sell this much. Especially on the Wii U of all things.
I'm thinking they'll be saved for Smash 5. I can imagine the marketing will have Inklings front and center.
I'm thinking they'll be saved for Smash 5. I can imagine the marketing will have Inklings front and center.
Walter Matthau
Member
Hopefully this encourages other new larger budget IPs from Nintendo
Even if the Inklings don't meet your discerning standards for moe, surely Annie has to count?
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
I'm still amazed that nintendos first real crack at a shooter is this amazing. it's really pretty amazing. game is great. really look forward to how they will address a sequel as well, I bet they learned a ton from this outing.
I think i've probably clocked more hours into it easily than smash bros and I'm probably approaching mario kart time.
I think i've probably clocked more hours into it easily than smash bros and I'm probably approaching mario kart time.
SatoAilDarko
Member
Yup. Nintendo are the ones to make a super popular online shooter in Japan.
Only months before Splatoon came Codename Steam. It's the worst selling Nintendo-published title in Japan since the GBA days. It didnt sell well elsewhere either.
It's unfortunate as that game had more of a Western focus while Splatoon is heavily Japanese-influenced. I feel they'll take these results and produce more Japanese-influenced games that. Western ones.
Fusilli Craig
Member
I'm happy to hear how well Splatoon is doing; truly an inspired title.
I wouldn't so much agree that the mention is a sign of "how far NeoGAF has come" but rather how far the media has fallen. No offense.
I wouldn't so much agree that the mention is a sign of "how far NeoGAF has come" but rather how far the media has fallen. No offense.
Not only this year, but of the intere generation. Splatoon is going to sell over Mario Kart 8, Mario Bros U for Wii U, and more than Final Fantasy XV and Dragon Quest XI for PS4...
Wonder if Splatoon will sell over 2,000,000 in Japan withouth digital. :O
maquiladora
Member
Neogaf has been a source in several AFP Relaxnews articles. This aint the first.
From my understanding, Inklings are pretty much the exact opposite of 'moe', personality wise.
I mean, I guess that one girl that runs the hat shop kinda fits that character profile? She's quiet, reserved, and shy, which the Inkling certainly are not lol.
sörine;177663161 said:
Splatoon is already over 600,000 unit. It sold over 23,000 last week, and is going to increase thanks the holidays... There are 17 weeks to go, and Splatoon need to sell 11,764 unit all week for sell 800,000 in 2015... Splatoon will easy sell more.
At this point, Splatoon should be easy over 1,000,000 by end of 2015 in Japan, maybe even 1,200,000, and withouth digital... awesome. totally deserved. <3
Thought he meant local as in 8 people playing against each other with their own handhelds
Can you imagine Splatoons numbers had it been on the Wii? As an avid Splatoon player I can tell you there's an overwhelming amount of Japanese players. I'd go far as to say it's an 8:1 ratio. Then again, that could be skewed since I'm a high level and S-rank--which Japanese players tend to be.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Splatoon just incredibly took off in japan, I think this will lead to a anime eventually.
Omega Kirby
Member
Great game indeed. In splatoon 2 I want bigger maps and more people
Aaron Strife
Banned
You know I always thought this game would do okay, but not anywhere near how it's been selling (which is excellent relative to the Wii U and would still be fairly impressive on any other console).
All the people who were like "lol it'll sell worse than Wonderful 101" were just as dumb back then as they are now in retrospect.
Can't wait for Spla2n.
All the people who were like "lol it'll sell worse than Wonderful 101" were just as dumb back then as they are now in retrospect.
Can't wait for Spla2n.
KenzinFive
Member
I wouldn't be surprised if for Smash 5, we get Inkling Boy/Girl and then Callie & Marie as a tandem character like Ice Climbers or Duck Hunt Dog..
TreasureHunterG
Banned
Yep, that's the reason for why Smash Wii U underperformed in Japan. 3DS version cannibalized considerable sales from the Wii U version. If Wii U version was avaliable first, it would sell better and even boost hardware sales as well. 3DS version coming first destroyed that. Yep, some will say this was a "smart move" and sold a lot on 3DS, and Wii U is a "dead system", but eventually, compromised one of the biggest prospects for hardware sales on Wii U.
Splatoon being Wii U exclusive is a major reason for why the system got some attention in Japan at the moment. A 3DS version, if was made, would took any attention from Wii U, like what happened with Smash Bros.
Leatherface
Member
I've already purchased a second Wii-U and another copy of Splatoon. This is how much love I have for this game. It's not only my GOTY so far but one of my absolute favorite Nintendo games in forever and when I say forever, I mean foreeeeeeever.
Do they even play smash in Japan. I mean seriously despite the sales I've barely heard of any serious tournaments and such coming out of there. One would expect a significant amount of competitive smash players coming from Japan. Splatoon on the other hand is usually filled with Japanese players. At the very least smash 3ds tournaments or something.
Hero of Legend
Member
Splatoon's success is a godsend for Nintendo, proving to them that they can take risks in a new big retail new IP, rather than mostly put their faith in existing IPs and only try new things in minor eShop new IPs like Dillon and Pushmo (nothing wrong with them mind you).
Point is, I wonder if this will indeed make Nintendo more open to more even out their efforts in original IPs for retail ala Splatoon on a similar scale and more often as their current IPs. Also for them to try out new genres again like with Splatoon.
A new 3D platformer IP, and also a new JRPG IP would be wonderful, both are genres shockingly put on the back burner from Nintendo, yes we have Mario for the former (DK's retired after the first go) and stuff like Pokemon, Xenoblade, and FE for the latter, but more new IPs of those from EAD Kyoto/Tokyo, or a major partnership could be wonderful.
Example, how about reuniting Hirokazu Yasuhara with Arzest (Naoto Ohshima) and Prope (Yuji Naka) for a new 3D platformer IP? You'd have all the fathers of Sonic creating a new universe once again.
What can EAD Kyoto/Tokyo bring for a new JRPG? How about getting the director of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse who also directed the Atelier Iris series (didn't know that did you?) to direct an original JRPG? How about a Monolith and Mistwalker team-up for a new JRPG? How about 1UP-Studio, Brownies, and Grezzo for a Mana successor?
The possibilities are endless.
Point is, I wonder if this will indeed make Nintendo more open to more even out their efforts in original IPs for retail ala Splatoon on a similar scale and more often as their current IPs. Also for them to try out new genres again like with Splatoon.
A new 3D platformer IP, and also a new JRPG IP would be wonderful, both are genres shockingly put on the back burner from Nintendo, yes we have Mario for the former (DK's retired after the first go) and stuff like Pokemon, Xenoblade, and FE for the latter, but more new IPs of those from EAD Kyoto/Tokyo, or a major partnership could be wonderful.
Example, how about reuniting Hirokazu Yasuhara with Arzest (Naoto Ohshima) and Prope (Yuji Naka) for a new 3D platformer IP? You'd have all the fathers of Sonic creating a new universe once again.
What can EAD Kyoto/Tokyo bring for a new JRPG? How about getting the director of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse who also directed the Atelier Iris series (didn't know that did you?) to direct an original JRPG? How about a Monolith and Mistwalker team-up for a new JRPG? How about 1UP-Studio, Brownies, and Grezzo for a Mana successor?
The possibilities are endless.
As far as I understand, the competitive Japanese scene is centered around arcades. I've rarely seen a lot of Japanese representation in games that don't have an arcade version.
frankie_baby
Member
There was a thread about a massive tournament being announced a week or so ago
... I think are more incredible the people that STILL predict less than 3 million lifetime for this game... Oh jesus seriusly, 4 million at this point is absolutely the minimum!!!
The game should sell 5 million lifetime or so.
Marketing does seem good and the creator of Squid Girl was really excited for the game and they eventually collaborated. Characters are really well designed and feel different from other Nintendo games but I wouldn't call them moe. I'd also say that the game feels completely fresh and actually knows it's the year 2015, it has a connection to the urban culture of Japan because the young developers have that connection to that urban culture and style.
I'd say it does a lot of things right in establishing a connection to the youth of today on top good marketing and being a very unique and well made 3rd person shooter. And shooters often don't do very well in Japan to begin with.
--
On slightly different note It's also very competitive and this month it will be in a tournament alongside Puzzle & Dragons with 1 million dollars in prizes for the victors http://squidboards.com/threads/1-million-dollar-splatoon-tournament-announced.6646/
That's the largest tournament setting Splatoon has ever been in so far.
Astral Dog
Member
Splatoon works because its a fresh take on a genre Nintendo never was familiar with, while they should take more risks with new ip as Splatoon showed, they also cant throw their proven games away.
jrpgs were released on Wii like Xenoblade, Last Story, Pandoras Tower(more or less) with modest success at best and Xenoblade getting a sequel, Fire Emblem Awakening and Bravely Default (published) saw success on 3DS.
Other retail offerings like STEAM, that starfish game on DS, Wonderful 101 for example were failures.
the point is that they need to offer something new with the traditional Nintendo quality/image, not just something that competes with their traditional, established offerings.
JB-the-Hunter
Member
Inkling for Smash DLC!
Splatoon is mostly successful not just because of the characters being new (though thay certainly helps) but becausr the gameplay and mechanics are ao radically fresh, which justified a brand new IP, just like Pikmin before it. I don't think that a 3d platformer ayarring someone other than Mario just for the sake of having it be not Mario, unless the mechanics are radically different, would be smart or successful for example. Brand new genres that they haven't explored as much however? Sign me up for more new worlds and new splatoonesque innovation.
The wall of crow that got posted a while back about W101 level bombs was amazing.
Pennywise83
Banned
If this was going to be so easy, then we would have seen much more new successful IPs. The truth is, Splatoon blew everyone's expectations because it's becoming huge, on Wii U, in 2015.
It was one of my best posts, too.