Nintendo UK marketing manager on Splatoon
MCV had the chance to sit down with Chandra Nair, Nintendo UK’s marketing manager, to talk about Splatoon. Some excerpts from the interview:
On why a new IP was needed for this game:
“If that idea is best realised with an existing set of characters and an existing universe then perhaps that’s the direction the project will go in. It’s all about the idea and how it’s best turned into a great game. With Splatoon it just so happens that the mechanic of travelling through ink before bursting out and shooting begged for Inklings and Octopians, and for a very different premise to what other Nintendo IP could provide. And so, we have a brand new IP.”
On the fact that Splatoon targets a similar audience to Mario Kart 8 and on Nintendo’s marketing push:
“And by that I mean everyone. We have TV campaigns for kids, 12 to 25 year-old boys, Nintendo gamers and the wider gaming fraternity. We’re targeting Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros owners but we’re using this opportunity to talk to lapsed Nintendo fans, too. Wii U has a fantastic software line-up and there really is something for everyone. There are a whole load of non-Wii U owning, lapsed Nintendo fans out there who will be tipped over the edge by Splatoon.”
On amiibo:
“I genuinely don’t know what the magic element is. It’s classic Nintendo though, that spark of magic that you can’t quite explain but just is. As soon as I saw the Inkling Amiibo I wanted them in the same way that I wanted the Yoshi’s Wooly World Amiibo; the same way I needed Charizard and Toon Link… and all the others. Aaarrgghh, damn you Amiibo.”
On the game’s singleplayer modes:
“But there will be a satisfying single-player aspect that sees characters taking part in more traditional challenges. Three Amiibo also unlock a further 60 challenges. Splatoon is a game that you can enjoy on your own or with a friend in the same room. But it comes into its own online.”
Check out the full interview here.
