GI:
"It's rare for Nintendo to reveal a new IP, but when the house of Mario first revealed Splatoon at last year's E3 it was surprising not just because it was a fresh face, but because Nintendo was diving into waters it hasn't previously charted: online multiplayer shooters. With Splatoon's release just around the corner, we jumped online and threw some paint around to see if this new property lives up to Nintendo's standards."
Nintendo has recently restored Wii U Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon online after five months of being offline.
Game Rant Writes "Mar10 Day is a fun yearly celebration of the Super Mario series, and Splatoon may warrant a fan-designated day of celebration in its own right."
How, exactly, did Splatoon reach heights rivalled only by Pokémon in Japan? New IPs from the House of Mario appear as often as shiny Pocket Monsters, yet typically move comparatively mediocre numbers or fall into relative obscurity behind the premium marques of Mario, Animal Crossing, Zelda, and Pokémon. Take Pikmin and ARMS, for example, which we adore but struggle to compete with the tentpole franchises when it comes to sales numbers or mainstream mindshare.
So, again, how has Splatoon risen to become one of Nintendo's most important series in Japan?