Splatoon, a franchise crafted by Hisashi Nogami and Shintaro Sato, stands as a third-person shooter video game series exclusively owned and developed by Nintendo. Unfolding in a distant future on a post-apocalyptic Earth inhabited by anthropomorphic marine creatures, the narrative orbits around Inklings and Octolings, terrestrial cephalopods resembling squids and octopuses. These beings possess the remarkable ability to seamlessly transition between humanoid and cephalopod forms. Central to their existence are turf wars, fierce battles where they deploy an array of weapons that discharge colored ink in humanoid guise, or maneuver stealthily through surfaces coated in their own ink in cephalopodic form.
The inaugural installment, Splatoon, made its debut on the Wii U platform on May 28, 2015. Its sequel, Splatoon 2, arrived on the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2017, accompanied by the Octo Expansion add-on on June 13, 2018. Splatoon 3 followed suit, launching on September 9, 2022, supplemented by the Side Order expansion pack on February 22, 2024. Revered for its distinctive style, engaging gameplay mechanics, and captivating soundtrack, the series garnered widespread acclaim, securing multiple year-end honors from esteemed gaming publications. To date, Splatoon has amassed a staggering 28 million copies sold worldwide. The franchise has not only cultivated collaborations with third-party entities but also cultivated its own esports tournament circuit in 2018, underscoring its burgeoning influence in competitive gaming. Moreover, Splatoon has birthed a manga series and even hosted holographic music concerts in Japan, diversifying its reach beyond the realm of gaming into realms of entertainment and culture.
“Splatfests” are periodic in-game festivities within the franchise where players are presented with a question and are prompted to choose a team based on their preferred answer. These questions can range from simple preferences like mayonnaise versus ketchup or fork versus spoon. Splatoon 2, akin to its predecessor, features Splatfest events that often include collaborations with various brands, spanning from Nintendo franchises such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Mario to third-party entities like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, McDonald’s, and Nike. Splatoon 3 expands on this concept with three available sides to choose from and continues the tradition of crossover Splatfest events, incorporating beloved Nintendo franchises like Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda.
Participating players engage in a series of turf war matches, contributing scores to their chosen side. The ultimate victor is determined by a scoring system that calculates the overall performance of participants. Although Splatfests in Splatoon 2 concluded in July 2019, recurring themes have since been revisited, with unique events occasionally introduced, such as the “Super Mushroom vs. Super Star” Splatfest in January 2021, celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Super Mario.
Given the divisive nature of the choices presented during Splatfests, the themes themselves often attract media attention. Themes vary widely, from preference-based inquiries like cats versus dogs to philosophical conundrums like chicken or egg. Some Splatfests are the result of real-life corporate partnerships, such as collaborations with Hasbro, Nickelodeon, or McDonald’s.
In most cases, Splatfest outcomes merely impact in-game rewards for participants and have no lasting effect on gameplay. However, the final Splatfest of each game marks the conclusion of developer support and may have narrative implications. For instance, the outcome of Splatoon 2’s final Splatfest influenced the storyline, leading to the losing character, Callie, becoming an antagonist. This narrative consequence was later confirmed by developers, particularly evident in the theme and setting of Splatoon 3, seemingly influenced by Splatoon 2’s “Chaos vs. Order” Splatfest outcome.
In the realm of esports, Splatoon’s competitive potential has been recognized since 2016, with sponsored tournaments in Japan. Nintendo further solidified competitive play with the establishment of the Splatoon 2 World Championships in 2018. Teams of four compete in qualifiers for a chance to participate in the World Championships, typically held during Nintendo’s E3 events and streamed live alongside other flagship titles like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
