Virtual hosts of the popular game Splatoon dazzled crowds with a live concert in Chiba City, Japan, on Jan. 30 2016. Nintendo of Japan decided to celebrate the selling of a million copies of the WiiU game with a live performance from the game’s frontrunners, TV hosts and pop idols Callie and Marie.
The Squid Sisters, as they’re called in-game, performed five songs from the game in the packed Makuhari Messe Stadium.
Callie and Marie are known in-game as Inkopolis’ biggest stars. They act as mascots for the game and tell the player the arena where they will be playing for the next 4 hours until the maps rotate.
The show began with a fake Callie and Marie TV spot, announcing the next “battle stage” as they do in-game when it is turned on. However, instead of the fictional battle arenas, The Sisters used a real photo of Makuhari Messe, commenting that it was the biggest arena they’ve ever been in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u99z1MIhUTk
Fans of other virtual bands such as Hatsune Miku and the Gorillaz will recognize the technology used to bring The Squid Sisters to life. Using clear screens, motion-captured models of the idols were projected singing and dancing with a live band. The clear screens allowed the audience to see behind the models and made the experience all the more real.
Callie and Marie performed five numbers from the game’s original soundtrack, including “Ink Me Up!”, “Now Or Never,” “Inkopolis Sinker” and “Calamari Inkination.”
Since Splatoon’s dialouge is comprised of its own language, Callie and Marie’s speech was translated on a screen above their heads for the audience to read.
Splatoon is available for purchase on WiiU.
