This is why you’ve been using Nintendo Friend Codes for 14 years
Think typing 12 digits is such a hassle? This might change your mind.
Nintendo‘s unique Friend Code system has been around since the Wii console era, and it’s still being used today.
While many find it annoying to use a 12-digit code rather than a unique username like many other services, it turns out Nintendo has a good reason behind it.
A leaked internal presentation shared by ex-Game Informer editor, Imran Khan, revealed that Nintendo considers the 12-digit Friend Codes more accessible than using unique screen names.
Letting people freely choose their screen names posed conflicts against two of Nintendo’s principles, the Simple and Comfortable principles.
Screen names violate the Simple principle by having duplicates which may lead to multiple re-entries. With the Comfortable principle in mind, the company is concerned about the user’s security and privacy with the possibility to “guess someone’s screen name by trying different variations of their actual name,” according to the presentation.
As part of that Nintendo leak, an internal powerpoint was found that spells out the reasons they went for friend codes. Apparently they thought signing up for screen names would be too confusing for the audience, and they would be frustrated if they didn’t get the ones they want.pic.twitter.com/LWzM0BRhIb
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