The release of Splatoon 3, Nintendo’s long-awaited take on shooters, is neigh. As such, promotion for the game is in full swing — especially in Japan. I had heard that Splatoon was popular in Japan. But that seemed like a vague statement until I walked into a 7 Eleven this week. This week, there’s a huge cross-promotion between Splatoon 3 and 7 Eleven, which multiple themed food items and exclusive merch. The highlight? Purple buns, of course.
First of all, assuming you’re American or associate 7 Eleven with their American counterparts, you have to understand that 7 Eleven in Japan is completely different from the depressing, dirty places you know. 7 Elevens in Japan rule. You can get delicious, cheap meals and load up on necessities. And they’re very clean. Japanese and foreign tourists alike come to 7 Eleven more days than not to grab a coffee and breakfast, or maybe get a lunch bento or grab a beer to unwind at the end of the way. It is a wonderful, level meeting ground for all. (Why yes, I am a Japan 7 Eleven Evangelist.)
So a cross-promotion at 7-11 is a big deal, because almost everyone’s going to see it. It has more spread and makes more sense than certain recent One Piece placements in the US. And there are a ton of different food items. The purple blueberry melonpan, of course. But there’s also a “chicken curry vs beef curry” meal, a brightly colored donut, two kinds of cup ramen, and a Squid Burger (made menchi-style, which is a ground and fried patty, and it is squid). There were non-edible goods, too, but those are long sold out. You can check out the 7 Eleven website for specifics (but it’s in Japanese).
I tried the Purple Bun, because of course one must try the Purple Bun. It was a pretty standard melonpan, but it had blueberry jam in the middle. And it made my tongue purple, which is great. I videoed the experience of trying it out on my fledgling millennial TikTok.
It’s not just 7 Eleven, either. I noticed a huge cross-promotion at Baskin Robbins, too! Complete with some real wild-looking ice cream. But just how popular is Splatoon in Japan? Well, Splatoon 2 is the only console game to have sold over 2 million copies in the country in over a decade.
In late 2018 and early 2019, you can find a bunch of articles which use the phrases “addiction” and “tearing families apart” quite a lot. Whether that’s true or a classic Video Game Culture Scare (or both), the fact is that the game is very popular in Japan. I’ll be interested to see if I notice any changes in public spaces when the game releases.
Image credit: Nintendo
