June 12th, 2012

There are friend codes on the Wii U (but this time they’re different, apparently)

102 Comments

When speaking with Kotaku about the Wii U, Reggie Fils-Aime said that, while “there are friend codes”, “it’s not the existing friend code system”, and:

…you will be able to identify people as friends and have a certain level of interaction vs. a different level of interaction for the more general population. The method by which you identify someone as a friend is a lot simpler than what’s happening today with Friend Codes.

Or, in other words, he’s staying relatively tight-lipped for the time being. But I will remain optimistic.

  • Nathan

    The next comment will be complaining I’m sure

    • ectoBiologist

      Lol, your comment appeared when i posted.

    • Lene

      Oh come on! It is raining again! >.>”

    • http://www.psvitahub.com Husnain

      Nintendo – “With the Wii U we are trying to bring back the core audience” yeah all the hardcore gamers love friend codes…..

    • Luciano Fran

      Here me out on this everyone …I hate friend codes too ,but what if nintendo is doing what i think theyer gonna do.Lets say nintendo launches nintendo network and on the wii u inorder for you too add freind youll need to create an account after you do all that they give a code a friend code and thats how you add ppl using the code and not your name? I hope thats how ninty plans to do it

    • Luciano Fran

      username^

    • http://www.youtube.com/bluej70 Blue J

      That’s a good idea. I was thinking of just make an account, but if accounts are what they’re focusing on, it’d be better to use Club Nintendo accounts for the Wii U that way we don’t have to link our Club Nintendo accounts on eshop/wii shop anymore.

  • ectoBiologist

    Yes,please.

  • cheetohs

    Who wouldnt complain WTF who cares if they are trying to make friend codes better! Quit it altogether! Its annoying having to give people long phone numbers just to play together online!!

    • ectoBiologist

      ^ Troll.

    • cheetohs

      Wow anybody who says something against stuff about nintendo is a troll -_-

    • Me

      @cheetohs,
      No, anyone who says something against Nintendo without proper information is misinformed, or, more likely (considering you are on a Nintendo site) a troll. Or a rare species of “anti-fan”.

    • http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/16a07c1e06c4010a42f31cc4d1a0702d.png ABEzilla116

      No one is misinformed, at all. We don’t want friend codes. Stop acting like Nintendo can do no wrong.

    • RicardoSForever

      Still, complaining that friend codes are just like gigantic phone numbers is exaggerating. Sure, it’s annoying on the Wii to have to give them to people, for every single game, and they’re always different, but on the 3DS, you get one universal friend code. Maybe the Wii U will have something identical but even better.

    • coolioGuy

      Soo, since he exaggerated on one small thing that makes his argument invalid? I honestly understand why he hates having friend codes no matter how “simple” they try making it. They should allow us to have usernames and for the kids that play they get friend codes based on what their age they put when they first get if they get under like 13 years and they get limited to somethings you can do or they can have some parental controls to let parents choose if they can do certain things such as getting a friend code or user name and to allow voice/video chat etc

    • antiform47

      ^ Lol but thats exactly what they are gigantic phone numbers how else could you describe them? there like phone numbers but even longer! D: its a horrible purposeless system.

    • mrgrimrjs

      I find it similar to getting someone’s gamer tag. I have had friends with long gamer tags that I have had to enter. Friendcodes feel the same except they are all numbers and everyone gets to use whatever name they want, even if someone else is using it.

    • Jesse

      Your all idiots to be honest, did you read the article at all it says it has changed meaning it could be really easy now! Just because friend codes exist doesn’t mean that they are going to be like the wii

  • anon

    I don’t think remaining optimistic is a good way to affect change. The more criticism they receive the better.

    • http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/16a07c1e06c4010a42f31cc4d1a0702d.png ABEzilla116

      Actually, I agree completely with this. The more they’re called out on it the more they’ll be inclined to change it. Hopefully they learned from last gen’s friend code fiasco.

    • R2BDSi

      Lol exactly, they treat us like were kids

    • MadCrain

      Fiasco? Like there was a riot, nobody cared, sure, it’s a shame you can’t interact with people socially, but you could still communicate with your actually friends, Fiasco, pffft.
      Though I agree with everyone, that friend code idea is terrible.

    • Donny

      What part of “The method by which you identify someone as a friend is a lot simpler than what’s happening today with Friend Codes.” don’t you people understand? Why the hell are you SCARED of it instead of embracing the fact that they’re making the system better?

  • Captain Falcon

    http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1po0gjoEn1rqfhi2o1_250.gif

    I’m just hoping the limit of friends is more than Live’s 100 friend limit.

    • dibbler

      Do you really have 100 people you are actually friends with. It seems people want to be ‘friends’ with random people that they don’t know at all.

    • Da Man Live

      My friend is Over 100 Captain!

    • Da Man Live

      friend limit*

  • anonymous

    friend codes are stupid and there’s no excuse for having them

  • turtshadow

    Why can’t nintendo be like everyonelse and have a username or a gamertag for friends.

    • lump182

      They still may do. That would still fit in with what Reggie is saying: “Its like friend codes, but not like friend codes”. You would just use the username to identify someone instead of their ‘friend code’ maybe? Could be what he’s saying, buit in a very stupid way.

      To be honest thats the only real difference between PSN/Xbox and friend codes – thats its a long number instead of a username – right? You still have to find out someones username to befriend them.

    • http://wiiublog.com Jared

      The point is it is alot easyer to remeber xXEdger123Xx then 8987-95654-929 or what ever

    • Marquis

      Although with friendcodes, you can set your username to whatever you want. That way we don’t have names like “Mario8265.”

  • hinkik

    it’s probably like this. Enter any name and you will get something yourname1923192031

    • http://wiiublog.com Jared

      Legit ^

    • antiform47

      why would they do that?

  • lump182

    imo, what he’s saying doesnt sound too dissimilar to PSN:

    You have a certain level of interacion with your friends (ie people you have confirmed as friends by sending an invite etc, identifying them with a username) versus people you arn’t friends with yet.

    When he refers to “firend codes” still being used, but “not the existing friends code system”, I beleive he may be implying that you’ll identify people by a username, rather than a numerical code (or somthing along those lines). The reason he’s usign the term ‘friend code’ is because nintendo dont like to outright admie when they make a mistake, so they’re trying to sound like they havnt backed down – when in fact they have backed don and changed the system completely.

    As usual, Reggie’s choice of wording and attempts at PR spin proves frustrating and only serves to confuse and probably (hoepfully) give the wrong impression.

    Unless Im wrong.

    • http://wiiublog.com Jared

      yeah i belive that.

  • http://wiiublog.com Jared

    Nintendo in the long run is looking out for us anyone can get hacked with a gamer tag or screen name (cough cough PSN) but with a 9 digit # we literly cant be haked. Plus ninty is working with EA on this online suff so it might not be as complicated.

    • http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/16a07c1e06c4010a42f31cc4d1a0702d.png ABEzilla116

      The PSN network thing had nothing to do with people’s account names.

    • http://wiiublog.com Jared

      well ether way i know people who can hack your gamertag and PSN account by knowing just your gamertag name or username.

  • Henry Anderson

    These friend codes use letters instead of numbers, and you can even pick the letters.

  • Enzo

    Everyone thinks Friend codes have no purpose and just are stupid, but they actually serve a protective kind of service. Nintendo is starting to shy away from the whole “extremely kid friendly/parent friendly” approach.

    • http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/16a07c1e06c4010a42f31cc4d1a0702d.png ABEzilla116

      Honestly, when it’s a 20 digit code or whatever, it’s just cumbersome. I never gave a crap to add anyone on the wii because of that.

    • antiform47

      i dont understand why they wouldnt just give us the whole thing and add a setting for kids. :/ i dont see any excuse except that maybe in japan its better accepted because with friend codes you needed to pretty much meet the person in real life. maybe theyre just oblivious to the west’s cries.

    • Pete41608

      @Enzo User names give the EXACT same level of ‘protection’ as friend codes, if people want your private information, they will get it. Whether its Numbers or Letters or a combination of the 2. Nintendo just made it a horrible (although technically, not a hard process) process to become friends with someone on Wii, All in the name of protection.
      Nintendo HAS to get rid of friend codes, in this current form or their online social features will be near pointless.

  • chris

    its ganna be like a gamertag thnn

    • lump182

      Pretty much. By the sounds of it anyway.

      But its Nintendo doing it, so no doubt it will autmoatically be worse than the competition, cos, you know, NintendicksSuXA$$ – lulz etc etc….yawn.

    • chris

      you say it sux yett u visit sites tht involve nintendo

    • AquaFire

      He/She is joking @chris

  • jandkas

    Gamer Tags? Maybe?

  • Pac-Man1096

    I’m tired of people complaining about Friend Codes already! It’s no big deal! On the Nintendo 3DS, there was only one Friend Code unlike the Wii and Nintendo DS where you had one Friend Code for each game. What makes you think that’s going to change? People on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 make silly usernames like xXEdgar123Xx anyway. Now you don’t have to worry about having the same username as someone because each person has a unique Friend Code. Think of it like Flipnote Hatena, now people can have the same on-screen names yet have different i.d.s. IT ISN’T HARD!

    • http://wiiublog.com Jared

      But i like making silly names or cool names thats what makes the experience better for me online its fun. And no two people have the same username. Friend codes are cool and usernames are fun and of course nintendo will combine them. :)

  • pedro

    NO nintendo we dont want friend codes (excuse my rudeness) but how the fuck do they expect us to enjoy online with those stupid long codes

  • O f course

    So if you want to play online with someone have to give him your number here my number if you want to chat sometimes or to play online that is funny

  • Renato S.

    I think that with all this social network feats, it will work just like one.

    you can set “privacy” degree in groups, like G+.

  • http://youtube.com/the8guys Dylan

    way to go Nintendo …

  • GenericHero

    I think people are forgetting that even steam has so called “friend codes”. When you make an account on steam you are given a numerical value to be identified with, it’s just that steam hides that code and gives you a username that you can identify with. I assume that what Reggie is talking about is a similar concept.

    • Big E

      I like the way Steam does “friends” and whatnot. Much easier to block people and add friends. It’s also quicker than the 360′s way of doing it.

    • AquaFire

      Would be awesome if this is what they will be doing.

  • http://wiiublog.com Jared

    EVERYBODY!! Remeber the little show nintendo put up on nintendo direct and how that guys friends had there real names like dave and mary and so on then with the old guy who was not a friend his name said Octo14432 or something like that.

    • Peskiest

      It was actually “OctoG123″, but yes, I see what you’re saying. Thanks for reminding us of that.

    • George Tirebiter

      So much this. ^

  • Wolf

    Friend Codes…. NintendoLand….

    Interest…. waning….

  • Wade Havick

    I wanna see how this plays out. I am interested on how the they gonna pull it without pissing off the hardcore gamers. Im gonna roll the dice with it.

  • jdub

    How about a parental control turns on the need for friend codes, that way, everyone else is unaffected, but little kids wont make friends with random internet pervs.

  • Brenden

    Nintendo learns from there mistakes so until what there doing is announced we have no reason to complain.

  • austen

    i want it to be like xbox live, because its easy people send you friend requests, i hope they dont mess this thing up

    • Nintendega/DodsonReview

      But if it’s like xbox live then it won’t be free. Having a non-free service is retarded

    • austen

      thats true so hopefully it is better and free

  • Chris Parlamas

    - Friend codes are back – sort of

    “There are friend codes, but it’s not the existing friend code system. What do I mean by that? Here’s what I mean: you will be able to identify people as friends and have a certain level of interaction vs. a different level of interaction for the more general population. The method by which you identify someone as a friend is a lot simpler than what’s happening today with Friend Codes.”

    - Reggie agrees that it wasn’t easy to add friends with Wii without calling a person and exchanging friend codes, etc.
    - Reggie says that these people will be happier with Wii U

    JUST READ THIS.

    The way he makes it sound is that they are calling their version of gamertags… friend codes.

    You have to realize that you will be able to access the account from computers… I would assume 100% that there will be usernames tied in with email addresses.

    Everyone needs to chill out.

    • George Tirebiter

      I’m surprised this article didn’t do what you did. Right when I discovered the interview, I got it out as quickly as possible and added “Please read this whole section first before coming to a conclusion.”

  • Elspeth

    NO I rather not share my Wii U with anyone so I will not set up internet on Wii U

    • HugoBOSS_HD

      LOL. You made me laugh. I. SAID>IT’S MYYYYYY WIIU!!! >.<

  • http://youtube.com/revolutionizethegame RevolutionizeTheGame

    I think what this means is that there will be two lists, one of all your online friends and another of your friends that you encounter in real life. You probably are limited with your online friends and not with the real ones. That is pretty much how I see friend codes being used.

  • R2BDSi

    Nintendo trying to pull of another how they will fail so bad XD! Nintendo is like a hard headed child

    • Meelow100

      I’m guessing you didn’t read the article, it called friend codes but it’s completely different.

  • Ness

    Nintendo NEVER FUCKING learns, do they?

    • Kirby 64

      ….

    • Big E

      @Kirby 64 You can say that again.

  • adam

    For me, Nintendo is still only riding on 1st-party games.

  • CK

    Honestly, I’m fine with friend codes as long as they’re not ten million digits long. Still curious to see all the tricks they have up their sleeves…

  • George Tirebiter

    This is when I remember there were profiles making posts in the Miiverse trailer.

  • BlueHawk007

    I have 2 theories;
    maybe it works like steam where you have your account name and then your in-game name which is always changeable.

    That or it will connect to club nintendo..which sucks because my name on there ain’t my in-game name I always use at all.

    • Sizzly-s

      You can change that to your liking if you want.

  • KING Z Is Ready For The Wii U

    Im Fine With Friend Codes, You Guys Are Just To Lazy To Add 12-16 Numbers On Your Systems -_-

    • KING Z Is Ready For The Wii U

      Oh & Maybe These Friend Codes Can Be Added On Your 3DS?

    • Captain Falcon

      Just wondering…
      do you only own a Wii?

    • Big E

      It’s not the fact that the codes are so many numbers. It’s that, unlike the PS3 and 360, it was harder to add and delete friends without contacting some person in the real world and asking for their code. That’s awkward enough already. (While the PS3/360/Steam let you add/delete friends right then and there). You prick. :/

    • KING Z Is Ready For The Wii U

      No I Own A 3DS & A Wii

    • KING Z Is Ready For The Wii U

      You Dont Even Know What A Prick Is -_-

    • Big E

      You know what?…I never knew until I was 11. Beforehand, I knew it was associated with being a jerk or jackass. The word “prick” is something of a slang word for the male human organ, or penis…Know what else? I have no idea why I even typed it. And now we know…but knowing is only half the battle. Ugh.

  • Ixchel

    Lol as long as it works like the 3DS friend codes, but account bound instead of system, I’ll be happy. I rather give my friends a string of numbers and have them be annoyed once at the cost of them seeing my name as I want them to, than have my username be xNamE93.
    X_X

  • sammaster9

    well, that just ruined it for me.

  • b2j135

    I don’t mind the current way which uses the 3DS version, but i will ALWAYS hate the DS version…a code for EVERY individual game!?!?
    ugh!

  • Tails the Foxhound

    Why do people hate friend codes so much? Is 12 numbers any harder to remember than say, XvX_0n3XW1ng3dXAng31_XvX? Friend codes gives you more freedom with your name for an added one time hassle. People need to get over it. -_-

    It’s people complaining about stupid shit that make me have to get taxed for every purchase on the eShop rather than once for a card at the counter. Retards.

    • Badham

      Completely agreed

      Also, most people aren’t reading the actual article. He clearly states that people who hate having to find out people’s friend codes and give them theirs will be happy. So that basically confirms you don’t need to know eachother’s friend codes like 3DS

    • Big E

      I have the feeling the friend codes will be used as some sort of identification security protocol. Since each console or player would have one, it would be easier for Nintendo to track down “bad” people and punish them. Just some guessing I’m doing.

  • StarTropics

    So it’s gonna be like Facebook friends requests now

  • Badham

    If you guys actually read the article, he says that you can add people without needing to know eachother’s friend codes. As he says people who don’t like the way you need to know someone’s friend code, and tell them yours… ‘they will be happy’

    Also, he said that there’s a level of interaction without people being your friends, so you can probably add people easily and send them a request and such.

    Basically it’s EXACTLY the same as PSN, only you can change your name whenever you like for free…

    Why are you complaining?

  • Mo

    I dont really mind friendcodes, its just that it was too hard to find a website and get them from people. If Nintendo made a channel that could have you add others that you meet or something that would be cool. I’m glad that Nintendo has decided to change it. They should do something like if you are under 13, you will need a Friendcode. I don’t really know.

  • NinjaFart

    David please check this out, apparently the reason why we didn’t see retro at e3 is that they called during the middle of the presentation and told Nintendo not to show their new game. But its just a rumor. Please check this out David!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qjRCs-SfIM

  • RedX

    i think updates for the wii U will fix this and make it better but who knows we still haven’t seen it.