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Was Nintendo ready for Wii backlash?

Nintedo anticipated a certain amount of surprise and even lashback when they decided to rename their newest console from "Revolution" to "Wii." They've said as much: "it's really noisy at E3 and I don't think we would have had the chance to explain how we came to the name," Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan told CNN Money, explaining why the announcement needed to be made the week before E3.

But was the company ready for so much negativity? Forbes writes a blunt headline: "Iwata's Nintendo Lampooned For 'Wii'." The Financial Times is more gentle with "Wii aren’t too sure about this." The CNN story even manages to include the toilet humor right in the headline, with a head that reads: "Nintendo goes 'Wii' ... (not a typo)."

These are major publications that are taking note of the internet backlash that has accompanied Nintendo's latest announcement, and they're all taking care to mention the link between the name and the toilet humor that the name inspires.

Three questions:

  1. Was Nintendo ready for the volume and ferocity of comments?
  2. Has the name been indelibly linked to urine? Even after we're all used to the name, the conversation that's going on right now isn't going to be forgotten soon, thanks to the emotional rollercoaster accompanying the announcement.
  3. Will the company capitulate?
Only Nintendo and time can answer these riddles.

Tags: nintendo, revolution, wii

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