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Developers React To 'Wii'
Posted by
Zonk
on Tue May 02, 2006 12:34 PM
from the gnashing-of-teeth dept.
from the gnashing-of-teeth dept.
Gamasutra has reactions from game developers to the announcement of the Revolution's new commercial name, 'Wii'. From the article: "It doesn't change my personal opinions of the console in the slightest. It changes my opinion of the Nintendo marketing department considerably. Did they even bother to research this? Why do they do these things? What was wrong with 'Revolution'? It's bad enough that the Japanese have a drink called "Sweat," but at least they don't try to export it to the English-speaking world with that name. Am I supposed to be happy about having to go down to the game store to purchase the 'Nintendo Wee'? For God's sake, where was Miyamoto? I can't believe he would have let this get by. - Ernest Adams"
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Nintendo Revolution Renamed 'Wii' 966 comments
Retroneous writes "The Nintendo Revolution has had its name changed to the Nintendo Wii." Confirmation on the official Revolution site. Update: 04/27 16:32 GMT by Z : More information available from a Gamasutra article: "New details on the disc format have also been revealed: 'Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs. Owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content.'"
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Story title misspelled (Score:5, Funny)
Burning Karma... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Burning Karma... (Score:3, Funny)
What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:5, Insightful)
Let us ignore the fact that we all like gaming consoles and instead resort to childish puns to evaluate something before it's even released.
Let the developers (and leaders of developers) proclaim to the world just how stupid this name is so that not only does the public think it's stupid, so do the developers. Think about that, the one group of people that are truly going to determine how this console does is jointly standing up and bashing it before the API is even in their hands. It is within their power to take this console--regardless of its name--and create some truly genuine games with a new controller interface. Before they even start that, they are all communally agreeing that the name is 'stupid.'
Kind of sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy to me.
The only two responses I read that defended the name were weak. Did no one stand up and say, "No comment until I've got this thing in my hands and I can really see what it's made of."
Let us all make fun of Dick Butkus [wikipedia.org] now for his name. Hahahaha, dick. Hahahahah, butt. Get it all out of your system.
This is sheer madness. I use a piece of software called "The Gimp 2.0" but I have never once heard anyone make fun of it. "Gimp" means disabled where I grew up, why would you call a piece of software 'disabled?' Who cares? No one because it kicks ass and it's a free alternative solution to photoshop.
It's not like they called it "Engelbert Humperdinck's Genitals" so that when you want to use it you would have to say, "I want to play with Engelbert Humperdinck [wikipedia.org]'s genitals now." For crying out loud, "wii," "wee," or "we" all sound the same and the latter is good pun. You hear it how you want to hear it so grow up and stop wanting to hear it as "wee wee."
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:4, Insightful)
It is a stupid name.
Parent
There is no such thing as bad publicity (Score:5, Insightful)
From a marketing point of view, this name is a colossal success. It worked. You know what their product is, you know what it's for, you remember its name. That's all that matters.
Parent
Re:There is no such thing as bad publicity (Score:3, Insightful)
We'll call it the WiiNES! (Score:4, Insightful)
I realize you're either kidding, or you're an idiot.
If he was in the headlines simply because of his outlandish name change (had he done so), it would indicate that he was already so huge that changing his name to something considerably stupid was headline news; if the music was good, he would then subsequently sell a substantial amount of records just because of all the publicity.
If Nintendo was in the headlines because they allegedly molested children, they would undoubtedly never sell another console or game again.
For that matter, Nintendo should have called it "The Entertainment System Formerly Known as Revolution".
Parent
Re:We'll call it the WiiNES! (Score:4, Funny)
However, I'm fairly confident that Revolution was just the codename (much like how Dolphin became Gamecube), but people just liked it and assumed it would be the final name. I liked it too, but having the name Wii won't stop me getting one if I do indeed end up wanting one (of the upcoming three, it's the only one in which I have a vague interest, unless an FF7 remake comes out for the PS3 which was vaguely hinted at by that tech demo a while back).
Parent
Re:We'll call it the WiiNES! (Score:4, Funny)
Wii my ass!(*). I can't wait to get my hands on a NES FOKR
*No, actually, on second thoughts please don't "wii my ass.". It sounds highly unsanitary.
Parent
Re:We'll call it the WiiNES! (Score:3, Interesting)
Now, granted, this name change isn't as bad as that, and it's even beginning to grow on me (I'll never *like* it, but I've come to accept it), but who knows whether it's a good thing or not? A lot of the articles I saw about the name change mentioned the puerile jokes being made on game sites. Now maybe that won't affect anyone's opinion
Re:We'll call it the WiiNES! (Score:3, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)#Be
Re:There is no such thing as bad publicity (Score:4, Informative)
"Hardcore" gamers and geeks aren't their primary market anymore, the're going for the casual gamer market in a big way, gamers are now a secondary market. People like me, who just like to play Tetris DS, or Mario Cart for an our or so, will be their main focus. seeing how Nintendogs and Animal Crossing etc. did, it seems that the're hitting that market almost perfectly.
Parent
Re:There is no such thing as bad publicity (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Exactly (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, how on earth could they have picked something that is a homonym for a word that means either diminutive, penis, or urine and thought it was a good idea?
Parent
Re:Exactly (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Exactly (Score:4, Interesting)
Simply put, the fact that the most exciting and innovative game system in the last 20 years is not targeted at hardcore gamers is a slap in the face to a subculture that takes itself far too seriously. However, since it is the most exciting and innovative system in the last 20 years any hardcore gamer without it has outed himself as something of a fanboy and/or hypocrite. Catch-22, baby!
Parent
Re:Exactly (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm 31, this will be my first console (after probably 5 generations of $1,000 PC gaming rigs over the past 8 years). I am fed up by the duplicity of MS OS and gaming (I find their actions are pushing me out of putting together another gaming PC), and Sony's stock has dropped in my opinion.
When I first heard of the name change, the following occurred to me in order: (1) I was more surprised that they made a name change (I liked Revolution); (2) I thought Wii was "W2" (backwards compatible with Gamecube so an effort at making it sound like a 2nd generation console); (3) when read it was "we" then thought it sounded like "Whee!" as in something a roller coaster rider would exclaim, all rather simple and fun, rather apropo for a game console. A little while later, (4) I thought maybe the Japanese had gotten a little too much idol-like in their culture, since it sounded like they were trying for some pop band name for their product.
Only when I hit the comments link and read the various
Further, it's clear that people identities are truly determined by product names, sort of like how people buy BMWs or Mercedes or whatever knowing shit about the product and buying it for the sake of the reputation or to get ahead of the Joneses. I think someone on
The closest though I can approximate the response of the "other people" is similar to when I read about some foreign film or anime being imported and there has to be a name change because the distributor thinks Asuka or Ree sounds too male, too butch, too foreign. Except in this case, I think the distributor/publisher here, Nintendo, made the correct decision, and the audience did indeed turn out to be as childish as the producers of other media outlets assume them to be.
I realize this may be extreme to many, but if the responses were not so immature or mob mentalitied or insulting, and I did not perceive some of the better ones as passionate for the product's success, I'd think I was reading some xenophobic site bashing a foreign named product for the sake of it.
Which unfortunately makes me either (or maybe both) an ass for thinking "everyone else" are just plain stupid, or correct and that folks are really and can't think outside of their domestic situations and nature.
Even writing this and venting, I am rather astounded the bashing Nintendo has taken by
What I do know is that *I* like the name (although less than the Revolution), I will be buying the product around 2 months after it is released (always do to to see if any overt bugs or problems exist and to see demand), and I like the controller and backwards compatibility and supposed price point.
What will I call it when I enter the store? "Do you have the new Nitendo console, the W two or the Whee?" If some idiot salesperson makes a joke, I'll calmly say I like the name and shut 'em up, and if he/she/it keeps going, I'll walk out and buy it elsewhere.
Maybe Nintendo will rename the pronunciation to W2 or something to appease the ignorant masses, but for me, the name change hasn't changed any of my perception of Nintendo but rather of people in general.
Parent
Re:There is no such thing as bad publicity (Score:5, Insightful)
While 'Wii' sounds like 'wee' and can be compared to urine, they could have accomplished most of their goals by calling it the 'Shiit'. It still has the double-i's they want, and it's just as fucking stupid! Their marketing dept could get on blogs (because it wouldn't be allowed in print or on tv) and say something like "It's the Schiit", but seriously, NOBODY in the US is going to buy a console with the word 'shit' in any form on the side of it. Too many negative connotations. Would people TALK about it? Sure! Doesn't mean they want to buy it.
You take POSITIVE buzz about a product called the Revolution and turn it 180 degrees into completely NEGATIVE buzz for a product called the Wii, and ONLY marketing could turn that shiit into a wiin.
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:3, Insightful)
Nintendo didn't make a mistake when they changed the name to Wii, they simply chose
Disney (Score:5, Funny)
Would you make the same argument if they called it Nintendo Poo?
Only Disney would release a video game product called Poo [amazon.com]h.
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:5, Insightful)
Once I was clear on the pronunciation, my first thought was "Well, kinda goofy, but reminds me of 'Whee!'" You know, the sound people make on a roller coaster, when they're excited or having fun?
But then, I've never called a part of my anatomy "wee", and it's been a long time since I called my <insert phallic slang here> a "wee wee". Since before I started school. While I wouldn't be surprised that kids would make the connection to such, I doubt it will deter them from buying the console. I think more jokes will fall along the lines of "I'm gonna go home and play with my wii" or, for the (slightly) older crowd "Wanna go to my place and play with my wii?" Lots of laughs, for the first week or two, I'm sure.
So, why is it a bad name? It's unique, distinctive (read: easily trademarked), and has multiple connotations, none of which are overly offensive and some of which are titillating (hmm, another funny word). And it's been the buzz pretty much everywhere in the gaming world. I wouldn't be surprised if it's touted as one of the most innovative names in the gaming world a couple years from now.
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:5, Funny)
I think they changed the name in order to avoid a miscconception that users wouldn't be able to plug it into their TVs -- after all, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:5, Insightful)
Revolution is awful as a product name. I'm glad Nintendo got rid of it, and I can't believe people want it back, regardless of their feelings of what Nintendo settled upon.
On the other hand, I know people who think the name of a cow is better than something meaning a broad view (Longhorn vs Vista.) I guess it shouldn't surprise me.
Maybe they'll bring it back as the Revolution Reloaded... ;)
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:5, Insightful)
So would be making fun of a girl named Ima Hooker.
But if I run into young Ima Hooker, I'm going to assign just as much blame to her parents as to the other kids. It doesn't matter what people should do, it only matters what they actually do, and any native speaker of American English could have told the big N that this name was begging for abuse.
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:3, Interesting)
Sometimes even the native English speakers don't get it.
When I was in high school, the school district I lived in (Indian Prairie School District in the Chicago suburbs) was building a new high school. When it came time to name it, the name the school board came up with, and were in near-unanimous agreement on, was "Indian Prairie High School." It took one of the board member's kids to start laughing
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, there you go. Sounds like the name Nintendo chose isn't very defendable.
I use a piece of software called "The Gimp 2.0" but I have never once heard anyone make fun of it.
Do you browse Slashdot at +5 or something? I don't think I've ever seen a discussion of The Gimp where it was not mentioned what a terrible name that is, and usually cited as a major reason why the product is far from being the Photoshop-Killer that it could be.
Names matter. Refraining from saying that a name is stupid doesn't make it any less stupid.
For crying out loud, "wii," "wee," or "we" all sound the same and the latter is good pun.
And the middle one is a BAD pun. So that cancels out the good pun, leaving us with only a non-word that not only has no connotations in English, but doesn't even have intuitive pronounciation.
Parent
Re:What a Constructive Mentality! (Score:5, Informative)
The funny thing is, Engelbert Humperdinck is a stage name! The singer's given name is Arnold Dorsey. (Eddie Izzard taught me that.) He chose a silly-sounding name and had a successful career . . . perhaps Nintendo's new console will have similar fortune.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdinck _(singer) [wikipedia.org]
Parent
Collective developer reaction... (Score:5, Funny)
Not exactly Game "Developers" (Score:5, Insightful)
Did we expand the definition of developers to include "columnist and game design lecturer" and "director of business relations?" Someone at Gamasutra didn't exactly get a scoop. And what's with two quotes from the same company, Blackbone Entertainment?
Anyways, they all say the same thing. The name sucks, the console is good. However, the best point to get out of the article is from David Sirlin:
"Your mother or girlfriend doesn't want something called an Xbox 360, but that's okay because they won't find any games they like on an Xbox 360 anyway (beside xarcade, that is). They might be less intimidated by the "Wii" and will definitely find Nintendo games and non-games that sound more interesting than "Madden 2007" and "GTA 2008". "
Totally true. The iPod wouldn't have succeeded with a name like "SongGiant 3950" (no product would). I say the name is horrible and acceptable all at the same time. Horrible because it lends itself to multiple negative connotations, and acceptable because it draws in customers that names like Xbox and Playstation won't.
Corrected title. (Score:5, Insightful)
Next Up On Slashdot (Score:3, Insightful)
We get it. By and large, people who eat, sleep, and breathe video games think that "Wii" is stupid. Fortunately for Nintendo, we're not their target demographic. Even more fortunately for Nintendo, the bulk of gamers who think that "Wii" is stupid follow the sentiment up with "but it isn't going to influence whether or not I actually buy the thing."
We, The Hardcore, need to come to grips with the fact that we are now, in Nintendo's eyes, a seecondary market. The sooner we do that, the sooner we'll be able to get past all this bloviating about what sorts of fools are heading the ship at Nintendo.
s/we/wii, if you're so inclined...
Re:Next Up On Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)
Unlike Playstation, Dreamcast, Famicom, Genesis, or Xbox, which I've heard people say are also "bad names", "Wii" is a horrible name on a purely viceral level as well as having bad puns. At least every other console has more than one syllable, sounds like an acutal product name instead of a squeal, and has some 'character' to it. "Wii" doesn't even sound like a name, it sounds like part of a name that got chopped off.
How would you even say it in normal sentences? "Have you gotten a wii yet?", "Is this game coming out for the wii?", "Hey check out the graphics on the wii", "Wanna play some wii games?", "Wii rocks!", "Do you have any wiis in stock?", "I think my kid wants a wii for christmas", "Wii is way cooler than the PS3". It just feels wrong, somehow - maybe because it sounds like "we", and "The we", "we's", "wes", and "a we" are ungrammatical in English. I suspect most people will just end up calling it "the Nintendo".
I was looking around for the Japanese reaction to it, and at least on Slashdot Japan [slashdot.jp], there seems to be about as much bewilderment at the name as there is over here. The name doesn't have any bad meaning in Japan, but it still sounds wierd.
Parent
Re:Next Up On Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)
I differ with you on this point. "PlayStation" and "Xbox", to my mind, are utterly devoid of personality. One sounds like a purely utilitarian description of the device; it's about as personality-laden as "RoadCar" or "FoodCutter". The other just takes "box"--a dreadfully exciting word--and tags the ubiqitous "'X' for extreme" bit to the front. At least "Wii" is evocative; whether you think "fun", "small", or "ha ha pee pee!", it engages your imagination more than either of its competitors.
And what makes a longer, multi-syllabic name better than a shorter, monosyllabic name? In marketing, short is sweet. It's why the "Macintosh" is now simply the "Mac", why the "High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle" is called a "Humvee", and why "fluoxetine hydrochloride" is known as "Prozac".
In any case, we have yet to feel the brunt of Nintendo's marketing. Once you plaster the airwaves with "Wii", it's likely going to be about as silly sounding as "iPod"; you won't even remember when you first shook your head and said, "what the hell kind of name is that?" Familiarity comes from repeated exposure, and in another few months, the name "Wii" will probably seem no more stupid than the name "Nintendo" to most people out there.
Parent
Slashdotters react to Wii... (Score:3, Funny)
Stupid Nintendo (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Stupid Nintendo (Score:3, Funny)
What in the world do you mean by "disaster"? Do you really think that the system will tank because of the name "Wii"?
Grow Up (Score:5, Insightful)
Pocari Sweat == Gatorade (Score:3, Interesting)
Geez... (Score:3, Funny)
The cuddly-wuddly Wii (Score:5, Insightful)
It's cute, and gamers (especially the kind that spend their evenings arguing on the internet) hate cute.
Come on, admit it. You don't want the coolest new console on the block to be adorable. Why is this so hard to say?
can't believe I havent seen this yet... (Score:4, Funny)
(Shameless threebrain reference, but I know a bunch of you get it...)
On a more serious note, what I really see this as is a big gamble on the part of Nintendo. They are hoping to create a catchy enough name that the name gets a life of it's own on some level. It's a big gamble, and one I would not have put the remaining reputation of the company on myself.
From a development standpoint, the thing to note here is that I would be willing to bet they're going to target marketing on this more at the child audience and much less at the young adult/adult audience (which is basically how the gamecube worked out for them.) At that level then you can target what kind of game development you are going to do on this platform. Don't expect a bunch of high concept fantasy rpg's and gory blood drenched FPS's on this one. Expect a lot of -Kart , generic sports game, generic mario franchise extension, and stuff your 6 year old niece/nephew won't be able to get enough of. All packaged in a name easy enough for a 3 year old to chant.
Re:can't believe I havent seen this yet... (Score:3, Interesting)
Which is exactly why the first game which was officially presented is a gory blood drenched FPS, made by Ubisoft, a 3rd party developer. The game is called Red Steel [slashdot.org].
While some other games introduced include a new Madden game, a game called "Sadness" in black&white and well the standard Nintendo games (mario, zelda, metroid...)
I'd say that's pretty Wii-ked
Problem is not the name but the reason (Score:3, Interesting)
Given that the Revolution will lauch together with the PS3 after the 360 in what may be considered a crowded market. Crowded? Well yes, if you happen to own either of the handhelds then you might realize that gone are the days of the Gameboy and even the GBA and you know can truly enjoy gaming on these without needing the eyesight of a 10 year old to make out the screen.
That means plenty of competition. Offcourse if you are certain that you could tap a different market then your competition is aiming for then good luck.
But does this market even exist?
I would very much like to know how many gamecube owners own only that console (I thinkt that any person owning more then 1 game platform could be considered harcore).
We all know the DS sells by the bucketload. Hell I overpaid to get a Lite from Lik-sang instead of waiting till the end of the year.
BUT I am a hardcore game. The Revolution intrests me. I used to think that console games were stupid, limited, crippled (PC gamer) and I am right but the GBA thought me that sometimes this can be enjoyable. I no longer always want to play a System Shock or a Baldur's Gate. Well I want too but I can't because there are so few of them and the light bubbly Nintendo games pass the time.
Say the DS sold 10 million units. Just for arguments sake say that an astounding 50% were bought by non-gamers. Girls who loved Nintendogs and Peach Princess (me a sexist pig?). That leaves 50% NON-non-gamers.
Now how many of the non-gamers bought these devices on the advice of gamers?
Who helped these non-gamers setup the wireless access of the DS? Told them in fact that you need a wireless router or access point to use it?
Attempting to reach new markets means running the risk of alienating your existing markets.
What I think may come as a shock to Nintendo is that there is no such thing as a non-gamer who games. Either a person plays games or they do not. The moment you get a non-gamer to game they either turning into a gamer OR a never-again-gamer. The last is harldy a market you want to enlarge.
The name itself is not important. What matters is if this is going to be the entire style of the launch. If all the games are going to be Wii too then I would very much like to congratulate Sony and MS on winning 1st and 2nd prize in this round of the console wars.
Homonyms, what a concept! (Score:3, Informative)
Wee = Small, tiny
Whee = Used to express extreme pleasure or enthusiasm (Dictionary.com [reference.com])
If you think about as meaning any of the above, the Wii isn't that silly of a name. Granted, if you have a puerile mind, it can also be a homonym meaning "pee". With so many words with double-meanings in the English language, you have to take it all in context. As a well-known example, "faggot" can be an offensive term for a homosexual man -- or it can be a bundle of twigs, or a kind of stitch, or a bassoon. A "fag" is a short form for the offensive term, or a cigarette. And you know damn well which one someone means when they ask if you'd give them a fag. When your child asks you to buy them a "wee", you'll know exactly what they're talking about.
One of the major complaints about the Wii name is that it doesn't define what the product actually is. Well, neither do iPod, Dreamcast, frisbee, Dr. Pepper, Lego, Nike... And yet these all are now memorable household names. Words can be created and then given a meaning, not just the other way around.
I have to disagree with this. (Score:3, Insightful)
The Nintendo marketing guys who came up with this are geniuses. I've never heard more about a new game console release than this one.
Re:it is a terrible name for the u.s. market (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh yeah, because they're all over you when you just utter phrases like "playstation" and "xbox." It's just like those commercials they air on Spike, I tell you!
If anything, "Wii" will score you cute points. Never underestimate the power of T3h Cute.
You're right, of course. (Score:5, Funny)
2006: After over a hundred years in business and only one unprofitable quarter, Nintendo is finally forced to shutter its doors for good. In spite of its lower price, innovative technology, built-in back catalog emulation, strong first-party licenses and third-party support from industry giants such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, the Wii's chances are destroyed by an endless barrage of trenchant insults from brilliant internet punsmiths who refuse to 'play with Nintendo's Wii.' Microsoft and Sony duel over the gradually diminishing population of hardcore gamers.
2007: Videogame industry continues to shrink. Internet punsmiths realize that 'PS3' sounds kind of like 'piss three,' sort of. Sony is subjected to ridicule from hardcore gamers and Microsoft leaps ahead in market share.
2010: Microsoft releases new console, the Microsoft Penetrator. Ads featuring a man whipping women in the face with his erect penis (tag line: The Penetrator. Is it in you?) are met with enthusiastic approval by the hardcore crowd.
2011: The release of Sony's new console, the Sony Overcompensator, is too little and too late. The consumer electronics giant shutters its doors for the last time.
2012: The Phantom is released. A console so masculine that it actually impregnates women who've never even laid eyes on one, the Phantom quickly dominates the now-anemic videogames industry.
2013-2099: The Phantom precipitates a population boom. Resource wars trigger a new global dark age.
2100: The end of videogaming, forever. A new era of social, civic and intellectual engagement dawns.
Parent
Re:IMHO (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, I don't know.
That's about the only part of your post that I agreed with.
If you really believe that Nintendo, the multi-billion-dollar multinational corporation with 117 years of operation under its belt, simply didn't bother to check if people liked the name, you should send them your resume and apply for the position of "Marketing Department" right away.
You're assuming that everyone is a hardcore gamer like you. They're not. I'm not. You're a negligible minority. You're going to buy an XBOX 360 or a PS3 anyway. Quake, Doom and Warcraft are all gamers' games, and not at all the type of casual game Nintendo players play. The rest of us don't care about Ultra-Sooper-Realistic Tactical Combat Simulations, we just want to play Fun Games. The whimsical name of the Wii tells me I'm going to get Fun Games. So if I buy a console this generation, it'll be a Wii.
Parent
Re:IMHO (Score:3, Insightful)