WithSplatoon 3out, gamers are enjoying turf battles, tableturf, Salmon Runs, story content, and gear collecting. The series has come a long way since its first title that came out in 2015. More and more has been added, and the series has truly made itself unique. However, not everyone knows that the game was almost not unique at all. In fact, it was almost aMariogameduring its development stage.
Inklings were not always considered to be the main characters forSplatoon. This was revealed by big names in Nintendo such as Shigeru Miyamoto, who shared that Nintendo had internal debates in the development stage about whetherSplatoonshould be another addition to theMariofranchise or be a new IP. Now, seven years later, it is hard to imagine whatSplatoon 3would have looked like as aMariogame.
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Why Nintendo Considered Splatoon As A Mario Title
According to Miyamoto, part of the pressure to makeSplatoonaMariogame was because it was a safe bet that the game would sell. Creating a new franchise altogether was risky. Building upon what was already successful guaranteed sales, while trying something new meant delving into the unknown.
It would have been far from the first timeMariogot a new game series. Nintendo already had many series that usedMarioas a selling point such asPaper Mario,Mario Party,andMario Tennis. So aMario Splatooncould have been added to this trend.
While some gamers have known aboutSplatoonalmost being aMariogame since it came out in 2015, the whole scenario brings up many questions, like whatPaper Mariocould have looked like if it was a new IP instead of aMariogame. There are a lot of games out there that could have been original but were developed withMariofor promised financial success.
This is a trend among a lot of big game developers, who often have to choose between the risk of something new or pushing out more of what they already know works. Unfortunately, this snuffs out a lot of opportunities for new and original characters, worlds, and lore. However, Miyamoto has made it known that Nintendo has not regretted its decision forSplatoonto be a new IP. WithSplatoon, Nintendo decided to risk a new IP, and it paid off.
From a big picture standpoint,Splatoon’ssuccess cashed in the possibility of Nintendo taking more risks in the future. However, seven years later, Nintendo has mostly dealt out what is still in its comfort zone. Its most famous IPs such asMario,Animal Crossing, Pokemon,andThe Legend of Zeldahave gotten many more games since the firstSplatooncame out. Some fans have therefore turned to indie games for fresher experiences, but nevertheless, Nintendo’s family of IPs still houses a lot of best-sellers.
The Success Of Splatoon
Splatoonis unique for more than nearly being aMariogame. The series has reinvented the third-person shooter genre through its turf battles, bright colors, and distinctive ink weapons.The Splatfeststhemselves created a new kind of community involvement by its players. Though the series has far fewer games thanMario, it has had record sales, with the most recent title selling three million copies in just the first three days it was out.
Knowing thatSplatooncould have been aMariogame makes its details all the more special. As aMariogame, the series likely wouldn’t have had idols like Callie and Marie and would have instead had Toad or Toadette. Instead of Inklings, players may have had to choose betweenMariocharacters like inMario Partyand be assigned ink colors based on that.Splatoon’s originality and sales success have made Nintendo’s risk all the more worthwhile.
