What's in a Name?

A good name can inspire images and feelings that a bad one just can't. Some people out there even buy games based solely on the game's name and its boxart. One of the first things you learn about any game is the name (except with sequels, usually). For some people, the name of a game is almost the more important thing about it. What impact does a game's name have on the first impressions of a gamer hearing about it and, as a result, the game's sales? This is something I've always wondered about the gaming industry.

Nearly every company that develops a game will go through testing to figure out which name they like best. Sometimes this just means an internal team that works on the most striking name. Other times, developers will ask gamers what they think the game should be called. Existing brand names are also a valuable commodity, with series like Medal of Honor and X-COM having new games published. An existing brand name can be of great use to a company, resulting in less need to publicize their game. If someone who really liked the first Medal of Honor games hears that a new one is coming out, they most likely will pick it up with fewer questions asked.

Of course, anyone who really cares about video games isn't going to mind a bad name if the game is great. Sure, we still laugh at silly names (Mindjack?) but they don't have as adverse an effect on us. Another example is the Wii U; most game journalists I read articles from after the name announcement thought it was stupid. Of course, Nintendo did it because they wanted the Wii name in the title for extra marketing and because the system isn't improved enough for the Wii 2. Game titles are still an interesting thing to me, able to inspire some very vivid images but not really mattering in the grand scheme of things.