Nintendo Renames the Revolution

On April 27, 2006, Nintendo announced the renaming of their upcoming next generation console: the Nintendo Revolution. Known by its codename the Revolution for over a year now, Nintendo has decided to rename the console last minute.

Nintendo has revealed the new name of their upcoming game console, being titled Wii, pronounced as “we”. Nintendo’s reasoning behind the last minute name change is that the console is supposed to bring people together to game (hence why it is pronounced “we”). Nintendo also claimed that the console’s old name, Revolution, was difficult to announce in foreign countries. Thus the name Wii came about for a global market of gamers - all of whom should be able to speak the console’s new title.

Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo’s vice president of marketing and corporate affairs, told GameSpot: “The goal is we are a highly innovative company and we want the name to speak to that innovation and uniqueness. If you were to look at (the name of the controller) visually, the point isn’t just how you pronounce it, but it symbolizes the controllers, which are one of the most innovative and unique parts of the system.”

The Wii is expected to release the fourth quarter of this year, and Nintendo strives to market the product extensively to help people understand correct pronunciation of the new unit.

“We think that after some time,” Kaplan said, “people will become comfortable with it. But it will strike people as different, and that’s what we’re after.”