Region and localization: Difference between revisions

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In the context of the {{Ss}}, '''region''' refers to an internal setting present in each game which is tied to each player's assumed general geographical location in real life. The region system aims to [[Matchmaking|match]] on a worldwide scale with players located on the same continent as often as possible to maximize gameplay stability. This system is also sometimes used to define localization-exclusive content, such as pieces of gear or Splatfest events.
region regions localization localizations localisation localisations


In the context of the {{Ss}}, '''region''' refers to an internal setting present in each game which is tied to each player's assumed general geographical location in real life. The region system aims to [[Matchmaking|match]] on a worldwide scale players located on the same continent as often as possible to maximize gameplay stability. This system is also sometimes used to define localization-exclusive content, such as pieces of gear or Splatfest events.  
In {{S}} and {{S2}}, the available region options are tied to the broadly defined real-life geographical location the copies of the games were bought from approved vendors, as Nintendo distributes different versions of both games in different continents. In those games, the region setting cannot be changed. In {{S3}}, players are prompted to choose their initial region setting, allowing for mismatched real-life and in-game region choices. Players may subsequently change the setting with cooldown restrictions preventing repeated region changes. Different versions of ''Splatoon'' and ''Splatoon 2'' per region feature varying degrees of [[wp:Regional lockout|region-lock restrictions]], while ''Splatoon 3'' does not.


In {{S}} and {{S2}} the available region options are tied to the broadly-defined real-life geographical location the copies of the games were bought in from approved vendors, as different versions of both games are distributed by Nintendo in different continents. The setting cannot be changed. In {{S3}}, players are prompted to choose their region setting, allowing for mismatched real-life and in-game region choices. Players may subsequently change the setting. Copies of {{S}} and {{S2}} feature varying degrees of [[wp:Regional lockout|region-lock restrictions]], while {{S3}} does not.
'''Localization''' refers to the individual different languages that games in the {{Ss}} are available in; the term in general refers to how content is altered to suit its geographically different target demographic in a marketing sense, usually accompanied by translation. For ''Splatoon'' and ''Splatoon 2'', the region system heavily affects which localization options are available.
 
'''Localization''' refers to the individual different languages that games in the {{Ss}} are available in; the term in general refers to the ways in which content is altered to suit its geographically different target demographic in a marketing sense, usually accompanied by translation. For {{S}} and {{S2}}, the region system heavily affects which localization options are available.
 
*how to swap languages per game


==List of localizations==
==List of localizations==
<!-- these are listed by their internal order where applicable-->
<!-- these are listed by their internal order where applicable -->
{| class="wikitable sitecolor-generic"
{| class="wikitable sitecolor-generic"
! rowspan="2" style="width: 9.8em;" |Localization
! rowspan="2" style="width: 9.8em;" |Localization
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of  
| {{yea}}<br>As of {{S}}
|-
|-
|{{flag|uk|20}} English (United Kingdom)
|{{flag|uk|20}} English (United Kingdom)
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<ref name=nodedicatedloc:( group="note">Has no dedicated translation, uses North American translation</ref>
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<ref name=nodedicatedloc:( group="note"/>
| {{yea}}<br>As of S
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|es|20}} Spanish (Europe)
|{{flag|es|20}} Spanish (Europe)
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of  
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|fr|20}} French (Europe)
|{{flag|fr|20}} French (Europe)
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of  
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|it|20}} Italian
|{{flag|it|20}} Italian
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of  
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|nl|20}} Dutch
|{{flag|nl|20}} Dutch
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of  
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|ru|20}} Russian
|{{flag|ru|20}} Russian
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of S2<ref group="note">The Russian language official social media accounts documented S2 and S3 related information until February 2022.</ref>
| {{yea}}<br>As of {{S2}}<ref group="note">The Russian language official social media accounts documented ''Splatoon 2'' and ''Splatoon 3'' related information until February 2022.</ref>
|-
|-
|{{flag|jp|20}} Japanese
|{{flag|jp|20}} Japanese
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of S
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|kr|20}} Korean
|{{flag|kr|20}} Korean
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!
!
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of S3
| {{yea}}<br>As of {{S3}}
|-
|-
|{{flag|hk|20}} Chinese (Traditional)
|{{flag|hk|20}} Chinese (Traditional)
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!
!
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of S3
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon 3''
|-
|-
|{{flag|mx|20}} Spanish (Latin America)
|{{flag|mx|20}} Spanish (Latin America)
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of
!
|-
|-
|{{flag|us|20}} English (United States)
|{{flag|us|20}} English (United States)
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of S
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon''
|-
|-
|{{flag|ca|20}} French (Canada)
|{{flag|ca|20}} French (Canada)
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| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}
| {{yea}}<br>As of
!
|-
|-
|{{flag|pt|20}} Portuguese (Portugal)
|{{flag|pt|20}} Portuguese (Portugal)
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!
!
!
!
| {{yea}}<br>As of S3?
| {{yea}}<br>As of ''Splatoon 3''?
|-
|-
|}
|}


[[List of official websites#Social media accounts|Official social media]] includes Nintendo-owned Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook accounts, several of which cover more than one language at a time, which at any point has covered ''Splatoon'' media. Certain social media accounts post localized content despite the lack of in-game equivalent (e.g. the Russian social media posts for {{S2}}, and Portuguese social media posts for {{S3}}).
To change between localizations in all three games, players must change their system's internal language and/or region setting. ''Splatoon'' and ''Splatoon 2'''s available localizations highly depend on which type of cartridge the player is using; setting one's system language to German but using an NTSC (Americas) cartridge rather than a PAL (Europe) cartridge of ''Splatoon 2'' will result in exclusively English text displaying in-game. This is not the case for ''Splatoon 3'', where all available localizations are accessible in any version of the game.<!-- note: verify if changing system region is what swaps between s3's fr (eu) and fr (ca) etc -->
 
[[List of official websites#Social media accounts|Official social media]] includes Nintendo-owned Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook accounts, several of which cover more than one language at a time, which at any point has covered ''Splatoon'' media. Certain social media accounts post localized content despite the lack of in-game equivalent (e.g. the Russian social media posts for ''Splatoon 2'', and Portuguese social media posts for ''Splatoon 3'').


==''Splatoon'' regions==
==''Splatoon'' regions==
Both the Wii U system and its game discs were region-locked. The Wii U system can only run games with regions that match its internal region setting; the different regional copies of consoles and games were distributed according to their real-life geographical region. Mismatched region-locked hardware and software are not compatible. For example, a Wii U bought in Japan (NTSC-J) will not run a copy of ''Splatoon'' bought in the United States (NTSC-U).
Both the Wii U system and its game discs were region-locked. The Wii U system can only run games with regions that match its internal region setting; the different regional copies of consoles and games were distributed according to their real-life geographical region. Mismatched region-locked hardware and software are not compatible. For example, a Wii U bought in Japan (NTSC-J) will not run a copy of {{S}} bought in the United States (NTSC-U).


The Wii U's internal region setting nor its region-lock restrictions may not be changed without use of hacking.
The Wii U's internal region setting nor its region-lock restrictions may not be changed without the use of hacking.


{| class="wikitable sitecolor-sr"
{| class="wikitable sitecolor-sr"
|+Wii U regional variations
|+Wii U regional variations
!Region code<ref group="note">Note that the region codes "NTSC" and "PAL" originally referred to differences in irl regional television frequencies, but within the context of video games, over time evolved to primarily are used to refer to regional release variants.</ref>
!Region code<ref group="note">The region codes "NTSC" and "PAL" originally referred to technical differences in real-life television encoding systems which typically differed per continent, but within the context of video games over time evolved to primarily refer to per-continent release variants.</ref>
!Equivalent real-life region
!Equivalent real-life region
|-
|-
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|}
|}


Different localizations are present depending on which type of ''Splatoon'' disc; certain gear and Splatfest events were exclusive to certain regions.
Different localizations are present depending on which type of ''Splatoon'' disc the player uses; certain gear and Splatfest events were exclusive to certain regions.


{| class="wikitable sitecolor-sr"
{| class="wikitable sitecolor-sr"
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!Notes
!Notes
|-
|-
|June 2016
|June 2015
!
!
!
!
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|February 2016
|February 2016
| colspan="3" |[[Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Blue]]<sup>NA/EU</sup> / [[Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Green]]<sup>JP</sup>
| colspan="3" |[[Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Blue]]<sup>NA/EU</sup> / [[Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon Green]]<sup>JP</sup>
|<ref name="sglobal2" group="snotes">Shared theme between all regions, though the events themselves were separate</ref>
|<ref name="sglobal2" group="S notes">Shared theme between all regions, though the events themselves were separate</ref>
|-
|-
|March 2016
|March 2016
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|April 2016
|April 2016
| colspan="2" |[[SpongeBob vs. Patrick]]||[[Tuna & Mayonnaise vs. Red Salmon]]
| colspan="2" |[[SpongeBob vs. Patrick]]||[[Tuna & Mayonnaise vs. Red Salmon]]
|<ref name="sshared" group="snotes">Shared theme between Americas and Europe/Oceania regions, though the events themselves were separate</ref>
|<ref name="sshared" group="S notes">Shared theme between Americas and Europe/Oceania regions, though the events themselves were separate</ref>
|-
|-
|May 2016
|May 2016
| colspan="3" |[[Fancy Party vs. Costume Party]]<sup>NA/JP</sup> / [[Black Tie Event vs. Fancy Dress Party]]<sup>EU/OC</sup>
| colspan="3" |[[Fancy Party vs. Costume Party]]<sup>NA/JP</sup> / [[Black Tie Event vs. Fancy Dress Party]]<sup>EU/OC</sup>
|<ref name="sglobal" group="snotes">Global Splatfest</ref>
|<ref name="sglobal" group="S notes">Global Splatfest</ref>
|-
|-
|June 2016
|June 2016
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|July 2016
|July 2016
| colspan="3" |[[Callie vs. Marie]]
| colspan="3" |[[Callie vs. Marie]]
|<ref name="sglobal" group="snotes"/>
|<ref name="sglobal" group="S notes"/>
|}
|}
<references group="snotes"/>
 
====Splatfest notes====
<references group="S notes"/>


==''Splatoon 2'' regions==
==''Splatoon 2'' regions==
The Nintendo Switch system removed the region-locked restrictions present in the Wii U (except Nintendo Switch systems officially sold in Mainland China); as such, any Switch game cartridge or E-shop purchase is compatible with any Switch system.
The Nintendo Switch system removed the region-locked restrictions present in the Wii U (except Nintendo Switch systems officially sold in Mainland China); as such, any Switch game cartridge or eShop purchase is compatible with any Switch system.


The system's region setting may be freely changed in its settings, though this does not affect ''Splatoon 2'' reigons.
The system's region setting may be freely changed in its settings, though this does not affect {{S2}} regions.


Despite the removal of region-lock restrictions, individual cartridges of certain games contain region-lock information; ''Splatoon 2'' is one of the affected titles. Unlike the Wii U's region-lock system, ''Splatoon 2'' mismatched region-locked hardware and software are compatible; the region-lock restriction serves to limit the amount of localization data available to the player per regional copy of the game. As such, certain gear and Splatfest events were locked per region, similar to ''Splatoon's'' system.
Despite the removal of region-lock restrictions, individual cartridges of certain games contain region-lock information; ''Splatoon 2'' is one of the affected titles. Unlike the Wii U's region-lock system, ''Splatoon 2'' mismatched region-locked hardware and software are compatible; the region-lock restriction serves to limit the amount of localization data available to the player per regional copy of the game. As such, certain gear and Splatfest events were locked per region, similar to ''Splatoon''{{'s}} system.


Oceania was notably "moved" to be a part of the Americas region.
Oceania was notably "moved" to be a part of the Americas region.
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|{{flag|uk}} English (United Kingdom), {{flag|es}} Spanish (Spain), {{flag|fr}} French (France), {{flag|de}} German, {{flag|it}} Italian, {{flag|nl}} Dutch, {{flag|ru}} Russian
|{{flag|uk}} English (United Kingdom), {{flag|es}} Spanish (Spain), {{flag|fr}} French (France), {{flag|de}} German, {{flag|it}} Italian, {{flag|nl}} Dutch, {{flag|ru}} Russian
|}
|}
In order to swap localizations in ''Splatoon 2''``


===List of region-locked content in ''Splatoon 2''===
===List of region-locked content in ''Splatoon 2''===
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| colspan="2"|[[Cake vs. Ice Cream]]
| colspan="2"|[[Cake vs. Ice Cream]]
|[[Rock vs. Pop]]
|[[Rock vs. Pop]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes">Shared theme between NAOC/EU regions, unified event</ref>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes">Shared theme between NAOC/EU regions, unified event</ref>
|-
|-
|August 2017
|August 2017
| colspan="3"|[[Mayo vs. Ketchup (2017)]]
| colspan="3"|[[Mayo vs. Ketchup (2017)]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes">Global Splatfest</ref>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes">Global Splatfest</ref>
|-
|-
|September 2017
|September 2017
| colspan="2"|[[Flight vs. Invisibility]]
| colspan="2"|[[Flight vs. Invisibility]]
|[[Fries vs. McNuggets]]
|[[Fries vs. McNuggets]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|October 2017
|October 2017
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|November 2017
|November 2017
|[[Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy]]
|[[Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy]]
|[[Warm vs. Cold]]
|[[Warm Breakfast vs. Cold Breakfast]]
|[[With Lemon vs. Without Lemon]]
|[[With Lemon vs. Without Lemon]]
!
!
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|January 2018
|January 2018
| colspan="3"|[[Action vs. Comedy]]
| colspan="3"|[[Action vs. Comedy]]
|<ref name="s2global2" group="s2notes">Global Splatfest with altered start times per region</ref>
|<ref name="s2global2" group="S2 notes">Global Splatfest with altered start times per region</ref>
|-
|-
|February 2018
|February 2018
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| colspan="2"|[[Chicken vs. Egg]]
| colspan="2"|[[Chicken vs. Egg]]
|[[Flowers vs. Dumplings]]<br>[[Newest Model vs. Most Popular Model]]
|[[Flowers vs. Dumplings]]<br>[[Newest Model vs. Most Popular Model]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|April 2018
|April 2018
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| colspan="2"|[[Raph vs. Leo]]<br>[[Mikey vs. Donnie]]<br>[[Raph vs. Donnie]]
| colspan="2"|[[Raph vs. Leo]]<br>[[Mikey vs. Donnie]]<br>[[Raph vs. Donnie]]
|[[Hello Kitty vs. Cinnamoroll]]<br>[[My Melody vs. Pompompurin]]
|[[Hello Kitty vs. Cinnamoroll]]<br>[[My Melody vs. Pompompurin]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|June 2018
|June 2018
| colspan="2"|[[Pulp vs. No Pulp]]
| colspan="2"|[[Pulp vs. No Pulp]]
|[[Hello Kitty vs. My Melody]]
|[[Hello Kitty vs. My Melody]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|July 2018
|July 2018
| colspan="3"|[[Squid vs. Octopus]]
| colspan="3"|[[Squid vs. Octopus]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes">Global Splatfest</ref>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes">Global Splatfest</ref>
|-
|-
|August 2018
|August 2018
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| colspan="2"|[[Retro vs. Modern]]
| colspan="2"|[[Retro vs. Modern]]
|[[Tsubuan vs. Koshian]]
|[[Tsubuan vs. Koshian]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|October 2018
|October 2018
| colspan="3"|[[Trick vs. Treat]]
| colspan="3"|[[Trick vs. Treat]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|November 2018
|November 2018
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|December 2018
|December 2018
| colspan="3"|[[Hero vs. Villain]]
| colspan="3"|[[Hero vs. Villain]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|January 2019
|January 2019
| colspan="3"|[[Family vs. Friends]]
| colspan="3"|[[Family vs. Friends]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|February 2019
|February 2019
| colspan="2"|[[Pancake vs. Waffle]]
| colspan="2"|[[Pancakes vs. Waffles]]
|[[Airhead vs. Wisecracker]]
|[[Airhead vs. Wisecracker]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|March 2019
|March 2019
| colspan="3"|[[Knight vs. Wizard]]
| colspan="3"|[[Knight vs. Wizard]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|April 2019
|April 2019
| colspan="3"|[[Hare vs. Tortoise]]
| colspan="3"|[[Hare vs. Tortoise]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|May 2019
|May 2019
| colspan="2"|[[Time Travel vs. Teleportation]]
| colspan="2"|[[Time Travel vs. Teleportation]]
|[[Ce vs. Pa]]
|[[Ce League vs. Pa League]]
|<ref name="s2shared" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2shared" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|June 2019
|June 2019
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|July 2019
|July 2019
| colspan="3"|[[Chaos vs. Order]]
| colspan="3"|[[Chaos vs. Order]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|May 2020
|May 2020
| colspan="3"|[[Mayo vs. Ketchup]]
| colspan="3"|[[Mayo vs. Ketchup]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|August 2020
|August 2020
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|[[Chicken vs. Egg]]
|[[Chicken vs. Egg]]
|[[Chicken vs. Egg]]
|[[Chicken vs. Egg]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|October 2020
|October 2020
| colspan="3"|[[Trick vs. Treat]]
| colspan="3"|[[Trick vs. Treat]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|-
|-
|January 2021
|January 2021
| colspan="3"|[[Super Mushroom vs. Super Star]]
| colspan="3"|[[Super Mushroom vs. Super Star]]
|<ref name="s2global" group="s2notes"/>
|<ref name="s2global" group="S2 notes"/>
|}
|}
<references group="s2notes"/>


====Splatfest notes====
<references group="S2 notes"/>


The following pieces of gear were only available on Japanese copies of the game:
The following pieces of gear were only available on Japanese copies of the game:
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*{{Gear|S2|Shoes|Sennyu Inksoles}}
*{{Gear|S2|Shoes|Sennyu Inksoles}}


All copies of the game can view other players wearing this gear + localized names of the gear, but the codes required to unlock them are incompatible with all but JPN region cartridges
In all versions of the game, players can view other players wearing this gear as well as localized names of the gear, but the codes required to unlock and receive them are incompatible with all but JPN region cartridges.


==''Splatoon 3'' regions==
==''Splatoon 3'' regions==
[[File:S3 Splatfest region select initial.png|thumb|region select terminal]]
[[File:S3 Splatfest region select tutorial.png|thumb|The available region options when booting up the game for the first time]]
[[File:S3 Splatfest region select initial confirm.png|thumb|exclusive text notice]]
*! the swapping limitations
{{S3}} removes the region-lock restrictions present in the previous games, but still contains two sets of region options.


All localization options are available in any copy of the game, regardless of region option. Only in instances of region-exclusive Splatfests is there ever missing text, which is typically replaced with the other region's text by default.  
{{S3}} removes the region-lock restrictions present in the previous games, but still contains two sets of region options.


Oceania was notably "moved" once again.
All localization options are available in any copy of the game, regardless of region option. In instances of region-exclusive Splatfests, if there is ever missing text, it is typically replaced with the other region's text by default.


Referred to as "Splatfest regions" , the regions are split into:
Oceania was notably "moved" once again, but only during the ''[[Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere]]'', likely for timing reasons (the full game has it grouped with the Americas just as in ''Splatoon 2'').
 
===Splatfest regions===
Referred to as "Splatfest regions", the regions are split into:
*Japan
*Japan
*The Americas, Australia, New Zealand
*The Americas, Australia, New Zealand
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*Hong Kong, S. Korea
*Hong Kong, S. Korea


In ''[[Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere]]'', the regions are instead split into:
During the Splatfest World Premiere demo, the regions were instead split into:
*Japan
*Japan
*The Americas
*The Americas
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*Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, S. Korea
*Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, S. Korea


This regional choice affects which regional players the player is more likely to get matched with in all online gameplay modes except X Battle.
This regional choice affects the [[Mailbox|posts]] they will see and which [[Splatfest]] themes they will participate in.<ref>{{TWI}} [https://twitter.com/OatmealDome/status/1691127749493350400 @OatmealDome on Twitter]</ref> Players choose their region either upon the game's initial startup before the [[tutorial]] (if a [[Nintendo Switch Online]] membership is active), or upon entering the [[lobby]] for the first time. There is a cooldown period of 60 days before the player is allowed to change the region again; this cooldown restarts every time the player votes on a Splatfest or change the region selection.<ref>{{TWI}} [https://twitter.com/OatmealDome/status/1722275490151706918 @OatmealDome on Twitter]</ref> The player's choice of region may be changed via the [[Lobby Terminal]] as long as this cooldown period is not active.


===X Battle divisions===
[[X Battle]] offers a separate region choice, referred to as "divisions":
[[X Battle]] offers a separate region choice, referred to as "divisions":
*{{Brand|S3|Takoroka}} Division covering players from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
*{{Brand|S3|Takoroka}} Division covering players from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
*{{Brand|S3|Tentatek}} Division covering players from United States, South America, and Europe
*{{Brand|S3|Tentatek}} Division covering players from the United States, South America, and Europe
This regional choice affects which regional players the player is more likely to get matched with exclusively in X Battle; additionally scores are measured separately between the two divisions, and as such three sets of [[badge]]s become available depending on the player's choice of division
 
This regional choice affects which regional players the player is more likely to get matched with exclusively in X Battle. X Battle scores are measured separately between the two divisions, and as such different sets of [[badge]]s become available depending on the player's division choice. Players choose their division the first time they play X Battles in a given season, and are unable to change the division until the next season.<ref>[https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/59461/~/how-to-update-splatoon-3#v200 {{NES}} Nintendo Support: How to Update ''Splatoon 3'']</ref>


===List of region-locked content in ''Splatoon 3''===
===List of region-locked content in ''Splatoon 3''===
screenshot of the region choosing screens (tutorial + terminal)
[[File:S3 Splatfest region select initial confirm.png|thumb|Notice informing of localization-exclusive text when selecting a Splatfest region]]
The following Splatfest was only available in certain regions:
 
{{S3}}{{'s}} Splatfest region system allows for separate per-region Splatfest themes, similar to {{S}} and {{S2}}'s equivalent Splatfest systems; all but three Splatfest events have thus far not utilized this feature, as they were global Splatfests.
 
During a region-locked Splatfest, the title, team names, and [[Anarchy Splatcast]] dialogues may not be available in all languages. In case of a Splatfest outside of the Japan region, if the system language is set to Japanese, the English Splatfest-specific text will be used and mixed in with the Japanese interface.
 
In case of a Japan-exclusive Splatfest, the Japanese Splatfest-specific text will be used and mix in with the current game language, except for Chinese and Korean. If the system language is set to Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or Korean, since the game is unable to use the fonts required for these languages at the same time as the Japanese font, the game is forced to reload into Japanese for the entire Splatfest while connected to the Internet, from the Splatfest Sneak Peek all the way until getting the final results announcement and receiving [[Super Sea Snail]]s, after which the game automatically reloads back into the system language.


The three Splatfests to utilize this feature comprise region-locked content:
{{Clr}}
{| class="wikitable sitecolor-generic"
{| class="wikitable sitecolor-generic"
!Americas/Europe/Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, S. Korea region theme
!The Americas, Australia, New Zealand/Europe/Hong Kong, South Korea region theme
!Japan region theme
!Japan region theme
!Notes
!Notes
|-
|-
|[[Handshake vs. Fist Bump vs. Hug]]
|[[Handshake vs. Fist Bump vs. Hug]]
|[[Kaiten-yaki vs. Oban-yaki vs. Imagawa-yaki]]
|[[Kaiten-yaki vs. Ōban-yaki vs. Imagawa-yaki]]
|Both events occured concurrently
|Both events occurred concurrently; event text was separate and exclusive to the two region groups; team colors were shared
|-
|[[Friday vs. Saturday vs. Sunday]]
|[[Red Bean Paste vs. Custard vs. Whipped Cream]]
|Both events occurred concurrently; event text was separate and exclusive to the two region groups; team colors were not shared
|-
|[[Drums vs. Guitar vs. Keyboard]]
|[[Lightly Salted vs. Consommé vs. Salted Seaweed]]
|Both events occurred concurrently; event text was separate and exclusive to the two region groups; team colors were not shared
|}
|}
==Gallery==
===''Splatoon 3''===
<gallery>
S3 Splatfest region select initial.png|The region select screen if prompted to first select when entering the [[lobby]] for the first time.
S3 Splatfest region select terminal.png|The region select screen when swapping region.
S3 Mixed Region Text.png|An example of mixed-region text seen when participating in a Splatfest which does not match the player's set language.
</gallery>
==Trivia==
*The Oceania region comprising Australia and New Zealand has been moved four times.
**In {{S}}, it is paired with the Europe region.
**In {{S2}}, it is paired with the Americas region.
**During the ''[[Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere]]'' demo, it was paired with the Hong Kong and South Korea region.
**In {{S3}}, it is paired with the Americas region.


==Notes==
==Notes==
<references group="note"/><!--
<references group="note"/>


==References==
==References==
<references/> -->
<references/>


<nowiki>[[Category:Mechanics]]</nowiki>
[[Category:Mechanics]]

Latest revision as of 20:09, 15 April 2024

In the context of the Splatoon series, region refers to an internal setting present in each game which is tied to each player's assumed general geographical location in real life. The region system aims to match on a worldwide scale with players located on the same continent as often as possible to maximize gameplay stability. This system is also sometimes used to define localization-exclusive content, such as pieces of gear or Splatfest events.

In Splatoon and Splatoon 2, the available region options are tied to the broadly defined real-life geographical location the copies of the games were bought from approved vendors, as Nintendo distributes different versions of both games in different continents. In those games, the region setting cannot be changed. In Splatoon 3, players are prompted to choose their initial region setting, allowing for mismatched real-life and in-game region choices. Players may subsequently change the setting with cooldown restrictions preventing repeated region changes. Different versions of Splatoon and Splatoon 2 per region feature varying degrees of region-lock restrictions, while Splatoon 3 does not.

Localization refers to the individual different languages that games in the Splatoon series are available in; the term in general refers to how content is altered to suit its geographically different target demographic in a marketing sense, usually accompanied by translation. For Splatoon and Splatoon 2, the region system heavily affects which localization options are available.

List of localizations

Localization Games Other
Splatoon "S" icon.svg Splatoon 2 "2" icon.svg Splatoon 3 "3" icon.svg Official social media
China Chinese (Simplified) ✓
Germany German ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
United Kingdom English (United Kingdom) ✓ ✓[note 1] ✓[note 1] ✓
As of Splatoon
Spain Spanish (Europe) ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
France French (Europe) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
Italy Italian ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
Netherlands Dutch ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
Russia Russian ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon 2[note 2]
Japan Japanese ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
South Korea Korean ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon 3
Hong Kong Chinese (Traditional) ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon 3
Mexico Spanish (Latin America) ✓ ✓ ✓
USA English (United States) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
As of Splatoon
Canada French (Canada) ✓ ✓ ✓
Portugal Portuguese (Portugal) ✓
As of Splatoon 3?

To change between localizations in all three games, players must change their system's internal language and/or region setting. Splatoon and Splatoon 2's available localizations highly depend on which type of cartridge the player is using; setting one's system language to German but using an NTSC (Americas) cartridge rather than a PAL (Europe) cartridge of Splatoon 2 will result in exclusively English text displaying in-game. This is not the case for Splatoon 3, where all available localizations are accessible in any version of the game.

Official social media includes Nintendo-owned Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook accounts, several of which cover more than one language at a time, which at any point has covered Splatoon media. Certain social media accounts post localized content despite the lack of in-game equivalent (e.g. the Russian social media posts for Splatoon 2, and Portuguese social media posts for Splatoon 3).

Splatoon regions

Both the Wii U system and its game discs were region-locked. The Wii U system can only run games with regions that match its internal region setting; the different regional copies of consoles and games were distributed according to their real-life geographical region. Mismatched region-locked hardware and software are not compatible. For example, a Wii U bought in Japan (NTSC-J) will not run a copy of Splatoon bought in the United States (NTSC-U).

The Wii U's internal region setting nor its region-lock restrictions may not be changed without the use of hacking.

Wii U regional variations
Region code[note 3] Equivalent real-life region
NTSC-J Asia
NTSC-U Americas
PAL Europe, Oceania, Africa, Middle East

Different localizations are present depending on which type of Splatoon disc the player uses; certain gear and Splatfest events were exclusive to certain regions.

Splatoon regional variations
Region name In-game region Available localizations
JPN (NTSC-J) Asia region Japan Japanese
USA (NTSC-U) Americas region USA English (United States), Mexico Spanish (Latin America), Canada French (Canada)
EU (PAL) Europe, Oceania region United Kingdom English (United Kingdom), France French (France), Germany German, Italy Italian

List of region-locked content in Splatoon

The following Splatfests were only available in certain regions:

Month Americas region theme Europe region theme Japan region theme Notes
June 2015 Rice vs. Bread
July 2015 Cats vs. Dogs
Roller Coasters vs. Water Slides 		Rock vs. Pop
Eating vs. Sleeping 		Red Kitsune Udon vs. Green Tanuki Soba (July 2015)
Lemon Tea vs. Milk Tea
August 2015 Marshmallows vs. Hot Dogs North Pole vs. South Pole Grasshopper vs. Ant
September 2015 Art vs. Science Messy vs. Tidy Airhead vs. Wisecracker
October 2015 Cars vs. Planes Cats vs. Dogs Squid vs. Octopus
Love vs. Money
November 2015 Pirates vs. Ninjas Zombies vs. Ghosts Land Food vs. Seafood
December 2015 Burgers vs. Pizza
Naughty vs. Nice 		Delicious vs. Disgusting Red Kitsune Udon vs. Green Tanuki Soba (December 2015)
January 2016 Past vs. Future Get Fit vs. Get Rich
Barbarian vs. Ninja 		Perfect Body vs. Perfect Mind
February 2016 Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon BlueNA/EU / Pokémon Red vs. Pokémon GreenJP [S notes 1]
March 2016 Snowman vs. Sandcastle Hoverboard vs. Jet Pack Show No Mercy! vs. Focus on Healing
April 2016 SpongeBob vs. Patrick Tuna & Mayonnaise vs. Red Salmon [S notes 2]
May 2016 Fancy Party vs. Costume PartyNA/JP / Black Tie Event vs. Fancy Dress PartyEU/OC [S notes 3]
June 2016 Early Bird vs. Night Owl World Tour vs. Space Adventure Chocorooms vs. Chococones
July 2016 Callie vs. Marie [S notes 3]

Splatfest notes

  1. ↑ Shared theme between all regions, though the events themselves were separate
  2. ↑ Shared theme between Americas and Europe/Oceania regions, though the events themselves were separate
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Global Splatfest

Splatoon 2 regions

The Nintendo Switch system removed the region-locked restrictions present in the Wii U (except Nintendo Switch systems officially sold in Mainland China); as such, any Switch game cartridge or eShop purchase is compatible with any Switch system.

The system's region setting may be freely changed in its settings, though this does not affect Splatoon 2 regions.

Despite the removal of region-lock restrictions, individual cartridges of certain games contain region-lock information; Splatoon 2 is one of the affected titles. Unlike the Wii U's region-lock system, Splatoon 2 mismatched region-locked hardware and software are compatible; the region-lock restriction serves to limit the amount of localization data available to the player per regional copy of the game. As such, certain gear and Splatfest events were locked per region, similar to Splatoon's system.

Oceania was notably "moved" to be a part of the Americas region.

Splatoon 2 regional variantions
Region name In-game region Available localizations
JPN (NTSC-J) Asia region Japan Japanese
USA (NTSC-U) Americas, Oceania region USA English (United States), Mexico Spanish (Latin America), Canada French (Canada)
EU (PAL) Europe region United Kingdom English (United Kingdom), Spain Spanish (Spain), France French (France), Germany German, Italy Italian, Netherlands Dutch, Russia Russian

List of region-locked content in Splatoon 2

Month Americas region theme Europe region theme Japan region theme Notes
July 2017 Cake vs. Ice Cream Rock vs. Pop [S2 notes 1]
August 2017 Mayo vs. Ketchup (2017) [S2 notes 2]
September 2017 Flight vs. Invisibility Fries vs. McNuggets [S2 notes 1]
October 2017 Vampire vs. Werewolf Front Roll vs. Back Roll Dexterity vs. Tenacity
November 2017 Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy Warm Breakfast vs. Cold Breakfast With Lemon vs. Without Lemon
December 2017 Sweater vs. Sock Film vs. Book Warm Innerwear vs. Warm Outerwear
January 2018 Action vs. Comedy [S2 notes 3]
February 2018 Money vs. Love Gherk-OUT vs. Gherk-IN The Champion vs. The Challenger
March 2018 Chicken vs. Egg Flowers vs. Dumplings
Newest Model vs. Most Popular Model 		[S2 notes 1]
April 2018 Baseball vs. Soccer Salty vs. Sweet New Life-Forms vs. Advanced Technology
May 2018 Raph vs. Leo
Mikey vs. Donnie
Raph vs. Donnie 		Hello Kitty vs. Cinnamoroll
My Melody vs. Pompompurin 		[S2 notes 1]
June 2018 Pulp vs. No Pulp Hello Kitty vs. My Melody [S2 notes 1]
July 2018 Squid vs. Octopus [S2 notes 2]
August 2018 Fork vs. Spoon Adventure vs. Relax Chocorooms vs. Chococones
September 2018 Retro vs. Modern Tsubuan vs. Koshian [S2 notes 1]
October 2018 Trick vs. Treat [S2 notes 2]
November 2018 Salsa vs. Guacamole Eat It First vs. Save It for Last Pocky Chocolate vs. Pocky Gokuboso
December 2018 Hero vs. Villain [S2 notes 2]
January 2019 Family vs. Friends [S2 notes 2]
February 2019 Pancakes vs. Waffles Airhead vs. Wisecracker [S2 notes 1]
March 2019 Knight vs. Wizard [S2 notes 2]
April 2019 Hare vs. Tortoise [S2 notes 2]
May 2019 Time Travel vs. Teleportation Ce League vs. Pa League [S2 notes 1]
June 2019 Unicorn vs. Narwhal Kid vs. Grown-Up No Pineapple vs. Pineapple
July 2019 Chaos vs. Order [S2 notes 2]
May 2020 Mayo vs. Ketchup [S2 notes 2]
August 2020 Chicken vs. Egg Chicken vs. Egg Chicken vs. Egg [S2 notes 2]
October 2020 Trick vs. Treat [S2 notes 2]
January 2021 Super Mushroom vs. Super Star [S2 notes 2]

Splatfest notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Shared theme between NAOC/EU regions, unified event
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Global Splatfest
  3. ↑ Global Splatfest with altered start times per region

The following pieces of gear were only available on Japanese copies of the game:

In all versions of the game, players can view other players wearing this gear as well as localized names of the gear, but the codes required to unlock and receive them are incompatible with all but JPN region cartridges.

Splatoon 3 regions

The available region options when booting up the game for the first time

Splatoon 3 removes the region-lock restrictions present in the previous games, but still contains two sets of region options.

All localization options are available in any copy of the game, regardless of region option. In instances of region-exclusive Splatfests, if there is ever missing text, it is typically replaced with the other region's text by default.

Oceania was notably "moved" once again, but only during the Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere, likely for timing reasons (the full game has it grouped with the Americas just as in Splatoon 2).

Splatfest regions

Referred to as "Splatfest regions", the regions are split into:

  • Japan
  • The Americas, Australia, New Zealand
  • Europe
  • Hong Kong, S. Korea

During the Splatfest World Premiere demo, the regions were instead split into:

  • Japan
  • The Americas
  • Europe
  • Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, S. Korea

This regional choice affects the posts they will see and which Splatfest themes they will participate in.[1] Players choose their region either upon the game's initial startup before the tutorial (if a Nintendo Switch Online membership is active), or upon entering the lobby for the first time. There is a cooldown period of 60 days before the player is allowed to change the region again; this cooldown restarts every time the player votes on a Splatfest or change the region selection.[2] The player's choice of region may be changed via the Lobby Terminal as long as this cooldown period is not active.

X Battle divisions

X Battle offers a separate region choice, referred to as "divisions":

  • Takoroka Takoroka Division covering players from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
  • Tentatek Tentatek Division covering players from the United States, South America, and Europe

This regional choice affects which regional players the player is more likely to get matched with exclusively in X Battle. X Battle scores are measured separately between the two divisions, and as such different sets of badges become available depending on the player's division choice. Players choose their division the first time they play X Battles in a given season, and are unable to change the division until the next season.[3]

List of region-locked content in Splatoon 3

Notice informing of localization-exclusive text when selecting a Splatfest region

Splatoon 3's Splatfest region system allows for separate per-region Splatfest themes, similar to Splatoon and Splatoon 2's equivalent Splatfest systems; all but three Splatfest events have thus far not utilized this feature, as they were global Splatfests.

During a region-locked Splatfest, the title, team names, and Anarchy Splatcast dialogues may not be available in all languages. In case of a Splatfest outside of the Japan region, if the system language is set to Japanese, the English Splatfest-specific text will be used and mixed in with the Japanese interface.

In case of a Japan-exclusive Splatfest, the Japanese Splatfest-specific text will be used and mix in with the current game language, except for Chinese and Korean. If the system language is set to Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or Korean, since the game is unable to use the fonts required for these languages at the same time as the Japanese font, the game is forced to reload into Japanese for the entire Splatfest while connected to the Internet, from the Splatfest Sneak Peek all the way until getting the final results announcement and receiving Super Sea Snails, after which the game automatically reloads back into the system language.

The three Splatfests to utilize this feature comprise region-locked content:

The Americas, Australia, New Zealand/Europe/Hong Kong, South Korea region theme Japan region theme Notes
Handshake vs. Fist Bump vs. Hug Kaiten-yaki vs. Ōban-yaki vs. Imagawa-yaki Both events occurred concurrently; event text was separate and exclusive to the two region groups; team colors were shared
Friday vs. Saturday vs. Sunday Red Bean Paste vs. Custard vs. Whipped Cream Both events occurred concurrently; event text was separate and exclusive to the two region groups; team colors were not shared
Drums vs. Guitar vs. Keyboard Lightly Salted vs. Consommé vs. Salted Seaweed Both events occurred concurrently; event text was separate and exclusive to the two region groups; team colors were not shared

Gallery

Splatoon 3

  • The region select screen if prompted to first select when entering the lobby for the first time.

    The region select screen if prompted to first select when entering the lobby for the first time.

  • The region select screen when swapping region.

    The region select screen when swapping region.

  • An example of mixed-region text seen when participating in a Splatfest which does not match the player's set language.

    An example of mixed-region text seen when participating in a Splatfest which does not match the player's set language.

Trivia

  • The Oceania region comprising Australia and New Zealand has been moved four times.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Has no dedicated translation, uses North American translation
  2. ↑ The Russian language official social media accounts documented Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 related information until February 2022.
  3. ↑ The region codes "NTSC" and "PAL" originally referred to technical differences in real-life television encoding systems which typically differed per continent, but within the context of video games over time evolved to primarily refer to per-continent release variants.

References

  1. ↑ Twitter @OatmealDome on Twitter
  2. ↑ Twitter @OatmealDome on Twitter
  3. ↑ Nintendo Nintendo Support: How to Update Splatoon 3
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