The Splatoon 3 logo symbolizes the dynamism and brightness of a game where competitions turn into colorful performances. The game created a unique atmosphere by combining vivid graphics, music, and active gameplay.
The Splatoon series began with experiments in surface painting and unconventional controls inside Nintendo EAD. Announced at E3 2014, the first game reached Wii U on May 28, 2015. Despite the console’s weak sales and competition from Call of Duty and Overwatch, it sold about 5 million copies. It won Best Shooter and Best Multiplayer at The Game Awards 2015. It was the first new franchise since Pikmin in 2001.
Splatoon 2 launched for Switch on July 21, 2017, eventually selling over 13 million copies. Its final major Splatfest in July 2019 ended with Team Chaos defeating Team Order. The result shaped Splatoon 3, whose desert setting, improvised architecture, and post-apocalyptic tone followed the winning theme.
Nintendo announced Splatoon 3 on February 17, 2021. Set in the Splatlands and Splatsville, it retained Inklings and Octolings while adding Return of the Mammalians and Salmon Run Next Wave. The game launched on September 9, 2022, selling 3.45 million copies in Japan within 3 days. The opening surpassed Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokémon Black and White. At the same time, company shares rose 5.5 percent after the figures were released.
Sales passed 10 million by February 2023 and reached 11.7 million worldwide by year-end. Nintendo announced the Expansion Pass on February 8, 2023. Inkopolis arrived on February 28, restoring the original plaza, while Side Order followed on February 22, 2024, with a roguelike tower campaign. By October 2025, total series sales exceeded 30 million copies.
Meaning and History
What is Splatoon 3?
It is a team-based shooter featuring original gameplay mechanics in which players compete by covering territory with colored ink. Characters are anthropomorphic squid and octopus, capable of transforming to move quickly and refilling their ink supplies. The game features a variety of unusual weapons and cooperative modes. Besides multiplayer, there is a single-player campaign against unique marine-themed enemies.
2022
The Splatoon 3 logo reflects a style characteristic of Nintendo products and fully aligns with the game’s theme, which centers on bright battles where paint is the main weapon. Its overall shape, style, and details emphasize an atmosphere of creativity, interaction, and relaxed competition.
The name Splatoon is styled unconventionally, resembling street graffiti, and emphasizes the game’s youthful character. The lettering uses a typeface similar in character to Bubblegum Sans, but heavily reworked with distortions and individual features. The letters have uneven edges and shapes with varying heights and widths, and their plasticity takes on a cartoon-like, playful appearance. Inside the capital letter “S”, grayish, semi-transparent spots are added to imitate small paint hits. They emphasize the game’s theme and create an additional decorative effect.
A complex triple outline surrounds each letter in the name. The outline closest to the letter is black. The middle outline is purple and creates an intermediate layer, while the outermost layer is bright yellow. These outlines give the letters depth and a layered look, reinforcing the logo’s lively style.
The number “3” is positioned to the right of the name. It is presented in a massive, three-dimensional, light-yellow form, with curves and thickened strokes. Like the main lettering, it is surrounded by a three-layer outline. The inner outline is black, the middle is purple, and the outer is yellow. The lower part of the number smoothly transitions into an arrow pointing to the left. On the arrow’s surface is a miniature black “3” stylized to resemble cartoon eyes with pupils, lending the image a livelier, more emotional character.
The background of the composition is a large, irregular, black shape depicted as paint splashes that spread outward in chaotic lines and droplets. The background serves as a unifying element, tying all parts of the logo into a cohesive and complete image. Its chaotic form perfectly reflects Splatoon 3’s gameplay, filled with unpredictability and paint-splashing effects.
The designers aligned the logo with the game’s overall style and the brand. Splatoon 3 is perceived as a project that reflects Nintendo’s creativity, energy, and the vivid nature of its games.



