Nintendo is currently generating a lot of headlines in the lead-up to Illumination’s firstSuper Mario Bros.movie trailer debuting this Thursday. A number of video game franchises have seen great success with animated or hybrid live-action film adaptations in recent years, notablyDetective PikachuandSonic the Hedgehog, but this is just one avenue for multimedia content that can advertise a particular series.Splatoon 3’s Rise of the Mammalians lines up one option by suggesting a character has been running their own in-universe podcast.
As with the first twoSplatoongames,Rise of the Mammalians has players collect Sunken Scrollsto provide tidbits of lore about new and returning characters - though Nintendo moved these collectibles to the Alterna overworld rather than hiding them within levels. These scrolls include a brief look into the lives ofSplatoon 3’s new idol group Deep Cut, all the shopkeepers around Splatsville, and some exposition regarding the whereabouts of idols from previous games. From a marketing perspective, Marie has the most interesting pitch via a long-running podcast called “Marie After Midnight.”
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The Rise of the Squid Sisters in Splatoon
The Squid Sisters were central characters in 2015’sSplatoonon Wii U. They ran the Inkopolis News broadcast that kept players up-to date on current multiplayer map rotations and Splatfest themes, but the Octo Valley story mode also revealed they wereAgent 1 (Callie) and Agent 2 (Marie) of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Working alongside the player character, dubbed Agent 3 by the duo’s grandfather Cap’n Cuttlefish, Callie and Marie helped rescue the Great Zapfish from DJ Octavio and the Octarian army.
Despite performing under the stage name Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie are actually cousins, and after Marie’s victory inSplatoon’s final Splatfest they decided to try having solo careers.Splatoon 2’s Octo Canyon story opens with Callie having gone missing, so Marie helps the player - dubbed Agent 4 - rescue her cousin once it’s revealed she has been mind controlled by DJ Octavio. By the timeSplatoon 3rolls around they’ve come back together as part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, now working underneath the original Agent 3 (who became their own NPC duringSplatoon 2’s Octo Expansion).
Even when they aren’t performing together, Callie and Marie are popular celebrity idols in theSplatoonworld. Their performance of “Calamari Inkantation” during the final battle of the Wii U title is even considered a pivotal moment when Octolings began to defect from the Octarian army.Integrating Inkling and Octoling culturesonly made the duo more popular, with characters like Marina fromSplatoon 2’s idol group Off the Hook expressing a deep admiration for the Squid Sisters.
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A Splatoon 3 Podcast Could Fit the Series' Multimedia Empire
Callie and Marie are not just popular withinSplatoon’s universe, they’re essentially mascots for a shooter series that otherwise leans on customizable player characters. Generic Inklings serve as fighters inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, but the Squid Sisters also perform as an Assist Trophy.Splatoon 3’s Sunken Scrolls reveal Marie is 100 episodes deep into a podcast at the same time as Off the Hook joins a new band called Damp Socks, and there’s a good chance “Marie After Midnight” would be just as popular among real-life fans.
This pitch isn’t that farfetched considering how muchSplatoonhas leaned into multimedia storytelling and outreach compared to other Nintendo franchises. For example, the initial breakup of the Squid Sisters was chronicled through a web series called “Squid Sisters Stories” uploaded in weekly installments prior toSplatoon 2’s launch. Callie and Marie also appeared alongsideOff the Hook’s Pearl and Marinaas “live” hologram idols during a real-worldSplatoonconcert in 2019.
Splatoonis currently one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, and its influence continues to grow - evidenced by thehuge initial sales ofSplatoon 3in Japanthat surpassed games likeBreath of the WildandAnimal Crossing: New Horizons. There’s a good chance many of those fans would listen to a podcast advertisingSplatoon 3’s features under the guise of interviews conducted by Marie, even if Nintendo leaned into garbled Inkling language for each episode. However, a more serious product that letSplatoon’s voice actors come together to talk about in-universe events or some behind-the-scenes details would be a much more exciting prospect.
