Splatoon 3 Is Fastest Selling Game Of All Time In Japan

Nintendo's Splatoon 3 is off to a very strong start in Japan. The game sold 3.45 million copies in Japan over its first three days, which reportedly makes it the fastest-selling game in history in Japan.

The previous fastest-selling game of all time across all platforms in Japan was Pokemon Black & White, while the previous fastest-selling game for Switch in Japan was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, according to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Nintendo officially announced the 3.45 million sales number, and Ahmad provided the context that speaks to the enormity of the game's release.

When Splatoon 3 was announced in February 2021, some were surprised that Nintendo was pushing ahead with a third entry despite the franchise not dominating headlines in the way that Mario Kart, Zelda, and Smash often do. But Splatoon and Splatoon 2 combined to sell more than 17 million units, so it was never much of a surprise that Nintendo went ahead with a third game. Now, the early says numbers for Splatoon 3 show just how much of a behemoth the series is.

Nintendo has yet to announce any Splatoon 3 sales figures for the US, UK, or other markets outside of its home country of Japan, but keep checking back for more.

GameSpot's Splatoon 3 review-in-progress currently scores the game a 7/10. Check back soon for GameSpot's full review of the kid-friendly multiplayer shooter.