So the WiiU isn’t exactly selling like hotcakes. As a matter of fact the original Wii is outselling it right now, as we speak. In the United States and also in Europe, the WiiU is being outsold by the seventh generation systems and by a substantial amount. And so now while Nintendo refuses to engage in panic mode, they must be mildly pondering why the company’s very first HD system isn’t reaching into the mainstream like the Nintendo Wii did all those years ago. And while I have lots of theories and possible explanations as to why its chugging along slowly in the sales department, I think the main reason is very simple and very low key:
The name.
Nintendo WiiU. What a miserable name.
Does that honestly sound like an upgrade over the Wii? Or does it sound more like just a mere add-on? Doesn't the WiiU sound very....2005ish? Doesn't this sound like a mere miserable upgrade over a system that has already tarnished its reputation because of its final 2-3 years? Let's look at the progression of names:
XBox--XBox 360. Very simple, sounds like an upgrade from the getgo.
Playstation--Playstation 2---Playstation 3. Also simple, and each time sounds like an upgrade over the previous system.
Even Nintendo had it right for a while:
NES -- Super Nintendo -- Nintendo 64
Game Boy -- Game Boy Color -- Game Boy Advance
But then the marketing department got lazy and didn't focus much on the names, with the major upgrade over the DS being called just the 3DS, and the Nintendo Wii's successor being the Nintendo WiiU. This is why the 3DS had such a slow start, because it just sounded like another version of the DS and doesn't quite exemplify its superior hardware, superior graphics, and upgraded gaming. The WiiU is suffering the same fate--after all, if you had not read and researched about it (and Nintendo did not help at all with all the secretive ways just weeks prior to the launch) you would not know that this is Nintendo's FIRST HD system, as well its first majorly interactive system with heavy online capabilities.
That's right, how can Nintendo's first HD system not be a good seller? How can the idea of HD versions of Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Smash Brothers, Pokemon, etc. not be appealing to gamers? Its because that detail is lost behind the uninspiring name. Now, the marketing team has to work extra hard to ensure that the WiiU isn't a mere minor upgrade, but a major improvement.
After all, the name doesn't say squat.
Really? The name? That's your conclusion? Somehow I think you're missing the overall picture here.
ReplyDeleteThe giant casual game market that Nintendo created has largely been stolen by smartphones, tablets, and Facebook. Mean while, after years of practically ignoring the hard core gamers, we have lost most of our brand loyalty to the company and the mere rehashes of games that we've already played on other consoles isn't really enough to bring us back into the fold.
Then add the $350 price point which is too high for the casual market, making them lean more towards the tablets and phones that they already have/want. That leaves Nintendo with just... their fans, which have shrunk in numbers.
That in a nutshell is why the WiiU is tanking. The name, however, is meaningless.
My argument is that the name of the Wii brings the casual/hardcore-neglecting reputation that Nintendo is trying to diminish--and so far they have been unsuccessful.
DeleteThere is very little casual about the WiiU itself (trust me, I own one :P ) , but nobody in mainstream and hardcore America is aware of it because of the poor marketing..among other reasons.
~Milton