Best known for the BIT. Trip runner game series, indie developer Gaijin Games will no longer produce future titles under the company name. Instead, the developer studio – which was officially founded in 2007 – will market games as the renamed Choice Provisions. It comes as a surprise that the studio would wish to change the name after seven years in the games industry, but it’s clear that the decision hasn’t been taken lightly.
According to the indie developer’s blog, the name change has been under consideration for some time due to negative connotations over the word “gaijin”, defined as “an outsider”. Though it may not mean much to western audiences, it’s certainly affected those overseas. As for the studio’s games in development, any future BIT. Trip runner games landing on the 3DS will be branded with the old Gaijin name, though most will take on the new company name.
Choice Provisions’ upcoming 3DS title Woah Dave! is due to launch this summer on the eShop. The studio provided the following back story to the name change on its blog:
“When Gaijin Games was founded in September of 2008, it was with the goal of creating the kinds of games we played in our youth. As it turns out, many of the games we grew up playing were developed outside of the US. This is what inspired us to brand ourselves as ‘gaijins.’
“The name made sense, but it also carried somewhat of a negative connotation to it. No matter how you may feel about the word “gaijin” personally, I think it’s fair to say that some people out there view it as a negative term. Being the upbeat, positive folks we are, the last thing we wanted was for people to be offended by our name. We are but humble purveyors of video games, and the end goal of all the work we do is to make people happy.
“Ergo, we’re changing our name to Choice Provisions.”
First
You’re not first until you take my penis out of your butt.
Whoa brah, be careful with all that edge.
So?
Yes I’m first
Well makes sense when Gaijin means “outsider”. Not an offensive name, just an odd one.
lol! So it doesn’t make sense then. Being odd doesn’t make it offensive.
Gaijin is outside…and id rather have a foreign experience than somthing that is familiar
Probably some morons out there who’d mispronounce it as “Gay Djinn”.
So…. I wish the article explained for us “Westerners” why “Gaijin” is such a negative term.
I assumed it was pretty obvious with Choice Provisions blog post snippet, but I will edit this into the post for clarification.
No, I’ve read it all and I get that they are changing their name from “Gaijin” to “Choice Provisions,” because “Gaijin” means “outsider,” but what I don’t get is why EXACTLY a word meaning “outsider” is negative?
I couldn’t say. Maybe they received some backlash recently or are looking to rebrand their future titles for better marketing appeal.
Oh okay, thanks.
Actually I found out that “Gaijin” is a “bad word” in Japanese culture. Apparently it’s like a racist slur or something. It is a word you would call an “outsider” that you “don’t like.”
I guess I understand why the word might be controversial now.
Apparently “gai koku jin” means “”outside country person,” or foreigner, but if you drop the “koku” it becomes the “bad word” that Choice Provisions had originally named themselves after.
Everyone, being racist since the beginning of time.
But all jokes aside, I don’t see how the hell “gaijin” is offensive to non-Japanese. Hell, even Gaijin Goomba don’t mind being called one.
What kind of connotation? I’m beyond confused.
Apparently it’s japanese for foreigner in a politicaly incorrect way.