Home Gaming Wii U not struggling because of its name

Wii U not struggling because of its name

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ReggieWiiU

What’s in a name? Not much, if you were to ask Nintendo of America’s beefy bossman Reggie Fils-Aime. He doesn’t believe that the Wii U’s awkward naming has anything to do with the consoles failure to gain wide-spread momentum.

“The challenges we’re facing with Wii U are not issues of the name,” Fils-Aime said to Kotaku. “The issue is the lack of a steady rate of software launches to motivate the consumer to drive buzz and engagement and to highlight the wide variety of uses of the GamePad. That’s the issue.”

“The consumer understands that we have a new system. But the consumer is saying: ‘What am I going to play? And what am I going to play that’s a new and unique and compelling experience vs. what I can do today, whether it’s on the Wii or any other system?’

“And that’s why experiences like Pikmin 3, like Wonderful 101, like Zelda Wind Waker HD, with the off-TV play, experiences like Super Mario 3D World—that’s why it’s critical that we launch those, have consumers experience them in malls across the country, which we’ll be doing. It’s critical that the consumer see for themselves the range and breadth of compelling software for the system.”

I love the Wii U; I think it’s a clever little machine – but I really do feel the name is an issue, and one of the reason’s the console’s messaging just hasn’t found accord with the general populace. Many people still think that the Wii U is very expensive peripheral for the original Wii, and not an entirely new console.

Yes, there’s also the issue of the lack of games – but that’s a problem that’s largely going away. The biggest problem comes down to messaging; Nintendo just hasn’t really convinced the world that they have to have a Wii U, the way they did with the Wii.

On that note; Rayman Legends is out today – and if you have a Wii U, that’s the system to get it on.

Last Updated: August 30, 2013

29 Comments

  1. Alien Emperor Trevor

    August 30, 2013 at 08:37

    For the longest time I thought a Wii U was just a handheld, like the Vita.

    Reply

    • OVG

      August 30, 2013 at 09:10

      Even the TV ads in America do not say what the hell it is. Even the first Lady of America had no scooby.

      Reply

  2. Spathi

    August 30, 2013 at 08:37

    You made sure you don’t incur the wrath of Riaan, didn’t you Geoff? 😛

    And yes, it is a naming issue: http://news.yahoo.com/video/nintendo-announces-2ds-lowers-wii-142527753.html

    Reply

    • Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

      August 30, 2013 at 09:01

      No, Riaan just has a confirmation bias issue. He’;ll ignore anything positive, and just shit bricks when anything is negative. It happens a lot on the internet.

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        August 30, 2013 at 09:06

        Who’s Riaan?

        Reply

        • Spathi

          August 30, 2013 at 09:24

          The “Nintendo” Foxhound…

          Reply

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            August 30, 2013 at 09:31

            My god… does every console/franchise have a Foxhound?

          • DarthofZA

            August 30, 2013 at 10:28

            They are indeed everywhere. And sometimes, there is more than one. Several years ago, Sony had like 5 on this very site. I think they turned 12 though and got over it….

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            August 30, 2013 at 10:41

            You mean their balls dropped and they became PC gamers?

          • DarthofZA

            August 30, 2013 at 11:04

            Your comment made me laugh so much I have chosen to forfeit 🙁

            I realized the other day, I still consider myself a console gamer, even though my PSS3/360/WiiU/DS gaming time combined doesn’t add up to how much I play on pc…

  3. OVG

    August 30, 2013 at 08:41

    What is a Wii U? Is it an extra control pad for the Wii? 😛

    Reply

    • RinceThisNintypoo

      August 30, 2013 at 08:55

      It’s like a poo 2, but the other way around…

      Reply

  4. Hammersteyn

    August 30, 2013 at 08:53

    There’s just to many games that passes the WIIU by. GTA V being a prime example. It’s just can’t keep up with the XBOX or the PS in this regard.

    Reply

  5. RinceThisNintypoo

    August 30, 2013 at 08:58

    Awesome header! And I am sorry, it is the name. The biggest pull that marketing can generate is through the name. Millions is spent on R&D for a reason, calling it a Wii U was a big mistake, the casual market, and let’s not kid here, the Wii was catered for that, won’t know what the heck a Wii U is. Probably expecting a Wii R U to come out next. PS: My comment on millions being spent on the branding of a name, how much did Lazygamer spend on the name? Pack of crisps and a pint of Stella? Trololo! FRIDAY BITCHES!

    Reply

    • OVG

      August 30, 2013 at 09:05

      It does not help when Nintendo are flogging a new peripheral every month for the Wii. I asked some of the moms at work if they knew what it was as most of them have Wiis for their kids and they tell me that they have baskets full of tennis rackets, pink Wii Motes, steering wheels and shit.
      They all seem to think that the Wii U is a fisher price tablet add on for the Wii.

      This is what happens when you go for the casual market and loose all of your hardcore gamers. Then they try to get the hardcore (the people who know what it is) back but 90% of Wii owners are the soccer moms.

      Wii 2, that is all they had to call it.

      Same thing with the 3DS a year ago, Little Timmy already had a GBA, DS, DS Light now 2DS. Soccer mom just thinks it is another DS with a different case. But seems to be gaining traction now. Nintendo are going to drop out of the console market and focus on the handheld for kids.

      Reply

    • Guest

      August 30, 2013 at 09:20

      A glorious Friday indeed.

      Reply

  6. Umar Kiiroi Senk?

    August 30, 2013 at 09:11

    I feel it’s more to with PR with a combination of the name. They did a horrible job of making people understand the WiiU’s vision. it’s a tight piece of hardware, it’s such a huge shame , I hope WiiU succeeds…..

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      August 30, 2013 at 09:14

      And that’s why it’s so important to make use of numbers. If they had come out and called it the Wii Too or 2-Wii or Wii-2 or Gamecube 3, then the public at large would have gone “Aaah, it’s a new console, rather than a very expensive tablet peripheral”

      Reply

      • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

        August 30, 2013 at 09:17

        Yup, Nintendo has released so many peripherals that the wiiU seems like just an extra one ….. sad …. numbers is the best way when you need to release a new console. well unless you’re MS and you’re going from 1 to 360 to One ….. errrrrr

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          August 30, 2013 at 09:35

          Well.. they did go full circle – back to a potentially “niche” console with a tiny but vocal fanbase. It’s weird, it’s like we’ve taken a time machine back to 2001 – 2003.

          Reply

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            August 30, 2013 at 09:40

            What if the WiiU is a time machine :O

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            August 30, 2013 at 10:42

            That would explain a lot…. 😀

  7. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    August 30, 2013 at 09:13

    Maybe Reggie needs a moustache?

    Reply

    • OVG

      August 30, 2013 at 09:13

      The moustache needs him

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        August 30, 2013 at 09:36

        Like Don Mattrick’s jacket?

        Reply

        • FoxOneZA - X-Therminator

          August 30, 2013 at 09:50

          The Don’s jacket is lined with Zim Dollars.

          Reply

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            August 30, 2013 at 10:41

            Or as they say in Zim… DOLLAHS!

  8. Rock789

    August 30, 2013 at 09:26

    For me, the biggest issue? They say it’s for the hardcore gamer once more… And then promptly only make it as powerful as the current gen tech (perhaps a wee-bit more powerful, but so small that Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen offerings will kill it when it comes to performance) with only a handful of proper, ‘hardcore gamer must-have’ titles (like ZombiiU). That, for me, is the death-knell.

    I’ve long been considering whether or not to get a WiiU… ZombiiU alone made me consider it. But that lack of proper ‘must-have’ titles is what’s kept me from getting one (I’m not paying over R5k just to play 1 game!). And it will continue to do so to the point that Nintendo have probably lost out on persuading me to get one – I’d rather just wait another 3 months and get my proper next-gen console. And I’ll bet I’m not the only one who feels that way…

    Reply

  9. Alex [SS] PsyChoPanthis

    August 30, 2013 at 13:23

    i dont understand why Nintendo dont just make a new pokemon colliseum or something for the WiiU. if they make a truly stellar pokemon game for the Weeu Weeu Weeu, that could give the console the spark it needs.

    Reply

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