Revolution name destined to Go away
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Mar 26th 2006 at 10:12AM }
Though Satoru Iwata failed to use any name other than "Revolution" in his recent GDC keynote, it's now been officially confirmed that Nintendo's next-generation console will be given a new and presumably improved label sometime before its glorious release. In an interview with IGN, Nintendo's PR master, Beth Llewelyn, quite bluntly states that the name we've come to know and love (and plaster all across our website) will be adorned with cement shoes and sent to the bottom of a lake:
IGN: Is Revolution the final name of your new system?
Beth: No, it's not.
IGN: So it's definitely a codename?
Beth: It's a codename.
IGN: And it's going to change?
Beth: It is going to change.
Goodbye
Revolution, hello...Nintendo Go? When queried about the recent and supposed leaks regarding the latter
name, Beth claims that she has no idea what that is. "I have no idea what that is. I haven't been on the
Internet yet today, but I have no idea what that is." Sounds like a marketing non-denial to me.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
student @ Mar 26th 2006 2:53PM
would nintendo have to coin the name for their new system in copyright or anything? Could we "figure" it out by seeing what names have been registered? I don't know how that all works, I just assumed you would have to coin your name somewhere so nintendo couldn't release a playstation 3 or what have you.
Dos @ Mar 26th 2006 3:18PM
I really REALLY hope the name isn't Nintendo Go. The name "Revolution" just sounds so much better.
pdxkid @ Mar 26th 2006 4:24PM
Now I know this may be wishful thinking, but if you go just by what you wrote...
It's not clear what is "changing." Is the name of the system changing, or is the fact that "Revolution" is a codename changing? The transcript seems to allow some wiggle room. God help Nintendo if it thinks "Go" is the best name out there.
luke @ Mar 26th 2006 5:29PM
Revolution perfectly explains what the console is about in one simple word. I wish nintendo weren't such complete idiots when it comes to marketing. Anyway, I thought the original codename for the revolution was N5?
Gabriel @ Mar 26th 2006 5:41PM
Slow news day? I think we're all smart enough to know that we have NO idea what the Revolution will be named until the day we see the final box in a picture.
vidGuy @ Mar 26th 2006 8:27PM
We'll probably find out at E3 what the final name will be. I'm also partial to the Revolution name. It's much better than past codenames (Dolphin, anyone?) and I think it makes people look at what the system has to offer. Compare that to PS3 (though it brings name recognition to the table for increased sales, it's not very inventive).
A few things, though, they bear mentioning here even though they're well known:
- Nintendo HAS used codenames as a product's real market name before. (Nintendo DS)
- "GO" in Japanese is "five". The slide that was leaked earlier this week refers to the 5th console by Nintendo. If it's not a fake... and Nintendo plan to use that moniker, we'll probably have NES5 (or NE5) or something similar as the name here in the states and other countries outside Japan. I doubt this is the case though... I'm calling fake.
Oh, and the supposed logo sucks. It's a neat cross between the classic D-pad and the GC logo, but I think Nintendo can do much better.
CubeGuy @ Mar 27th 2006 12:08AM
I shall always call it "Revolution." Changing the name, IMO, is a big mistake.
Nushio @ Mar 27th 2006 12:08AM
We all know Nintendo Go is a fake.
Nintendo On anyone?*
*Last comment I gave on Joystiq was taken seriously, please don't take this one seriously. It's a sad world we live in, where we have to make a footnote in case someone actually considers the comment as real.
Gabriel @ Mar 27th 2006 12:35AM
The idea that markets outside of Japan would have a different name for the Revolution is an outdated idea. Since the "Nintendo 64", Nintendo has made sure that all of its consoles had the same name in the WORLD market. In short, whatever it's called in japan will be what it's called everywhere else too.
vidGuy @ Mar 27th 2006 10:36AM
Wait, Gabriel, so you are saying that in Japan they called it the "NINTENDO SIXTY-FOUR" just like I say it? They didn't use the Japanese words for "SIXTY-FOUR"?
Because that's what I'm saying would happen here. It would be called the "N. E. S. FIVE", or "NINTENDO FIVE" in English speaking locations, if the slide is to be believed, but in Japan this would translate to "NINTENDO GO". Just wanted to clarrify what I meant.
tonedef @ Mar 27th 2006 3:14PM
to vidguy: actually, "nintendo ds" was codenamed "nitro," which was pretty terrible.
i hope that "go" will become more of an advertising point than the actual name, in the same way that "touch" was adopted by ds. then they'd be a cute "touch and go" pair.
Gabriel @ Mar 28th 2006 1:59AM
vidGuy - as far as I know, they had the exact same branding. "NINTENDO SIXTY-FOUR". I'm not sure, but I DO know that the text for "GAME BOY ADVANCE" and "GAME BOY ADVANCE SP" were in English, and pronounced the same in a number of commercials from Japan, including ones for Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission. As well as "NINTENDO DS" in an add Capcom made for the Japanese release of Phoenix Wright.
Nintendo has changed -game- names, but I don't think they would change -system- names again. Now, what I mean by that is... "GO" may mean Five in Japan, and that's a funny little bit of trivia for those in the know; but if they elected to use that name in Japan, I have little doubt they would use it - unaltered - in America as well. "NE5" or "NES 5" is silly. I sincerely doubt Nintendo would use their retro stylings to name the console.
Beyond which, we're not talking about Sony here. Nintendo has NEVER named their systems a successive number. We didn't have a NES 2. We had a Super NES. Then what was going to be the Ultra 64, renamed to match the Japanese and world market. Then Gamecube. I just sincerely doubt Nintendo would make the mistake of changing the name between markets -- even the Playstation and the Xbox lines have the same names in the world market. And yes, they're pronounced and spelled the same between English-speaking and Japanese markets.
vidGuy @ Mar 28th 2006 12:09PM
Wow, I'm surprised by all that, Gab. Thanks, though. I'd really hate it if we called it the "Go" here. I wish they'd stick with the Revolution moniker, as I'm sure most do. "Go" just doesn't have enough attached to it recognition-wise. A "Revolution", I know what that is. "GameCube" gave me an idea what it did and what it looked like. Ditto for PlayStation, though XBOX is kind of silly in these respects.
Anyway, up with Revolution, down with GO!
Kyle @ Mar 28th 2006 4:53PM
Name - certified speculation -
Super Nin-Fami-Com-do-game ten-64 Cube DS Advance-MicroBoy Virtual!
It's got the retro feel to it, and also embraces the future, when any product you purchase will have a metre-long acronym for it.
"Mom! I want a SNFCDG-1064-CDSAMB-V for Christmas!"
And Mario Kart: SNFCDG-1064-CDSAMB-V Racer
fnaboi @ Aug 1st 2006 8:37PM
I bet they'll change it to something stupid like Wii.