Friday, April 28, 2006
What the f*ck is Wii?
Here's the letter I just wrote to Nintendo:
I just saw the announcement about the Revolution's new name. "Wii" is the worst branding mistake Nintendo has ever made, and that's saying a lot considering the Virtual Boy. It's doubly bad considering how cool the Revolution is actually going to be.
You should trust me on this--I was living in Atlanta when "Whatizit" was revealed as the mascot for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Overnight, perception of the Atlanta Committee went from powerful to pathetic. Changing the name to the almost-as-bad "Izzy" didn't help much.
Revolution is a powerful idea--and it's something badly needed in the game industry. "Wii" conjures up images of "just another kid's console." Even worse, it sounds like an idea for an infant's game console. It doesn't inspire, it doesn't send a clear message, it doesn't tell the customer how to imagine what it will do. The name "Nintendo Revolution" does all of those things.
There is a great history of using the console name in the name of a Nintendo game--the Super Star Wars series and all the other "Super" SNES games, Mario and Zelda 64, Advance Wars, so many more. Will sales be strong for a game called "Wii Zelda" or "Resident Evil Wii?"
For too long, Nintendo has carried a perception of being "the console for the kids." If Nintendo is truly trying to reach everyone, it should try to build a system that will appeal to everyone, children and adults. Sure, the hardcore Nintendo devotees will buy this system. Young urban women will probably buy it. But will my dad play something called Wii? (OK, he wasn't too likely to try the Revolution either.) I will still be buying the system, but I'm pretty sure I will still call it Revolution. Hopefully, some other people will, too.
I just saw the announcement about the Revolution's new name. "Wii" is the worst branding mistake Nintendo has ever made, and that's saying a lot considering the Virtual Boy. It's doubly bad considering how cool the Revolution is actually going to be.
You should trust me on this--I was living in Atlanta when "Whatizit" was revealed as the mascot for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Overnight, perception of the Atlanta Committee went from powerful to pathetic. Changing the name to the almost-as-bad "Izzy" didn't help much.
Revolution is a powerful idea--and it's something badly needed in the game industry. "Wii" conjures up images of "just another kid's console." Even worse, it sounds like an idea for an infant's game console. It doesn't inspire, it doesn't send a clear message, it doesn't tell the customer how to imagine what it will do. The name "Nintendo Revolution" does all of those things.
There is a great history of using the console name in the name of a Nintendo game--the Super Star Wars series and all the other "Super" SNES games, Mario and Zelda 64, Advance Wars, so many more. Will sales be strong for a game called "Wii Zelda" or "Resident Evil Wii?"
For too long, Nintendo has carried a perception of being "the console for the kids." If Nintendo is truly trying to reach everyone, it should try to build a system that will appeal to everyone, children and adults. Sure, the hardcore Nintendo devotees will buy this system. Young urban women will probably buy it. But will my dad play something called Wii? (OK, he wasn't too likely to try the Revolution either.) I will still be buying the system, but I'm pretty sure I will still call it Revolution. Hopefully, some other people will, too.
