xBox: The challenge of naming a product for international markets.

#1

A friend of mine in Japan was talking about the surge in XBOX 360 sales, and he said something odd "despite the name of the console, it's starting to sell because of the 50 new Japanese publishers commited to delivering great content. And Blue Dragon is the follow-through that makes them think it will happen."

I asked him what he meant about the name... and he tod me something odd. at least to me.

The word X-Box doesn't exist in Japan. The best they can clome close with is "ekubo", which was the name of the original xBox given by the efforts to bring it to Japan. Ekubo means "blackhead, or pimple."

The saying "Abata mo ekubo" in Japanese means "Dimples (will be coming from) pimples." Or "Pimples become Dimples." What it means is The flaws of someone become enduring traits when you love them.

ekubo was a term to perfectly describe the original xbox, not just to the phonetic approximation, but cunningly appropriate due to the "breaking out imagery" and the swollen look of the console itself. It was a cruel joke called a "dead jellyfish" (which means an offensive comment that you challenge someone to turn into a compliment, just as a "dead jellyfish can become a delicacy when properly treated). Thing is, most of the gaijin who descended upon the Japanese gaming market on behalf of Microsoft never bothered to learn the language or the references or how to approach the public. This was of course an insult to the Japanese consumer, and was considered quite rude.

So, I started to ask him more about this, and he said that the increase in sales is not all because Japan is starting to embrace the system in record numbers. It's due to people who study abroad coming back to Japan with positive international experiences of this console.

Now, the great thing. You know who is the BIG part of the xBox culture in Japan: SCHOOLGIRLS. They put stickers of "Miao My Hime" and such on their controllers. In fact, many girls who don't have a system DO have their own controller, that they take to their friend's house, or even to demo units in retail stores. Even better many girls sell customized faceplates of themselves dressed up like characters from games and manga. some are blatantly explicit.

There are even songs and references to it coming up inTokyo-POP and Japanese cyberculture,.. the word "ekubo" has become synonymous with the romantic ideals of the "ugly duckling" that was this hideous monstrosity black and mishapen, and became the beautiful "swan" of the xBox 360 with its graceful curves and contours. Likewise, there are references to "Abata" which is sometimes used as a term of endearment for the controller. maybe they like the fact it "rumbles"? /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

The color change was helpful to, as the black became the white, as the soil becomes the rice. With the motions Microsoft made with the Sega Dreamcast, it is likely this was intentional, at least in part.

Still the biggest draw for the demand of the Japanese is Nintendo, which is still the most profitable corp in the industry, with over 6.3 BILLION dollars this year added to their 12.8 BILLION operating budget. The wii is becoming even more popular, but he says Japanese who studied abroad are migrating en masse to the 360.

Incidentally, the Kanji script for "wii" is not pronounced "weeee", and means "An inescaple change or turn of events; inevitable experience." This word means, plain and simple "THAT WHICH MUST BE." Sometimes, it is mistaken for the "uuuueeee" sound manga girls make for a "gag me with a spoon" type noise. that comes from manga culture where this was used to indicate the character making it was "getting some hard medicine" No stories of girls running around with wiimotes are abound yet, but it is bound to happen.

anyways, I thought this was interesting. They name their 360 controllers and carry them with them.. /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />

#2

Heh...I have my PS2 controller marked, and carry it with me as well when I go game...Been doing it for years..!

I have the silver one...

#3

That is really interesting Raum. Thanks for sharing that