Weeeeeeeee!
…Now spelled “wii”, thanks to Nintendo’s marketing team. I’m just not sure what to think. The reasons for the name change sound good when they’re spelled out on paper. So why can’t I supress the urge to roll my eyes? Oh well, I fully admit that I’m no product-naming expert. I personally preferred “Revolution”, though. Update: …and, the inevitable zinger from Penny Arcade. |
Name: David EderyLocation: Kirkland
Bio: Manager and Principal of Fuzbi, a consulting firm focused on the business and design of online video games, and research affiliate of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program.
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“Revolution” is actually pretty hard to pronounce if you’re a native Japanese speaker.
Comment by Philip Tan — April 28, 2006 @ 6:47 amI hear that. And I’m sure the word “Revolution” has unsavory connotations for some conservative types of people. And “Revolution” takes too long to say. I’m just expressing my personal preference for the name (as compared to “wii”, not necessarily all other possibilities). It was endearing, in a way.
Meanwhile, the three random people I’ve spoken with say they laughed (and not in a good way) when they heard the announcement. And visually, I think the name is problematic: it looks like “Why”, not “We”, and I’m not sure I’d want the question “Why?” to be the primary thought in people’s minds when they consider the product.
But again, I confess to knowing very little about naming strategies. I’m sure Nintendo did a boatload of focus group research and whatnot.
Comment by David J Edery — April 28, 2006 @ 8:47 amThe problem with listing reasons for choosing a given name is that explanations falter before the power of the name itself.
“Wii” is not a good name. Sure, it’s a nifty graphic, and it has a homonym that fits Nintendo’s vision for the product.
It’s also a childish homonym for “piss”. And that’s the first thing a substantial portion of the population is going to think of when they hear the name. Think about that: The first associations that a substantial portion of the population are going to make with your console are “childish” and “piss”.
That alone should have disqualified it from being the name of Nintendo’s next gen console.
Comment by Alec Austin — April 28, 2006 @ 9:30 amEnglish-speaking population, maybe. Not insignificant, but not Nintendo’s primary market either.
Comment by Philip Tan — April 28, 2006 @ 10:51 amWonder how much they paid their naming company to come up with this.
Comment by ivv — May 1, 2006 @ 1:51 pmWell if Iwata-san is to be believed, then most of these ideas come out of their board room…. Would you be willing to tell him that he came up with oshiko… I mean pee?
Comment by Nick Hunter — May 1, 2006 @ 7:19 pmStupid name. Little kids will come up to their parents and say one of the following:
“Mom, I wanna wii!”
“I am going to play with Billy’s wii!”
“My wii is colored!”
“My wii is wireless!”
“Wii’s are so fun to play with!”
get the point? o_0
Comment by Town Idiot25 — September 5, 2006 @ 5:02 pm