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NEWS > GAMES > NINTENDO SUED OVER “FAT WIIMOTE”

NINTENDO SUED OVER “FAT WIIMOTE”

July 19 2008

Tampa, FL – Two weeks ago, Nintendo of Japan announced plans to release an oversized Wii remote, targeted at overweight gamers principally in the North American territory. The reaction to the announcement amongst gamers was mixed, some embracing the new design, others looking at it as a cynical attempt to bleed more money out of players. One organization though sees Nintendo’s plans in a far more sinister light.

The Obesity Action Coalition, or OAC, has filed suit in Hillsborough County alleging that the new controller design acts to segregate overweight game players, subjecting them to further indignity, a violation of their basic human rights. The suit is intended to stop distribution of the remote in the United States.

“No person should have to suffer the indignity of going into a store and requesting the ‘controller for fat people’. It’s a disgrace and totally irresponsible of a major company to behave in such a discriminatory and degrading manner,” said OAC Director of Communications James Zervois. “Nintendo has prided themselves with trying to engage everyone, yet they are segregating a huge segment of the population, subjecting them to further scrutiny and ridicule that they have already endured by virtue of the fact that they sit around and play games all day. We will take this fight to the highest courts to ensure that all gamers are treated fairly.”

Nintendo of America had no response to the lawsuit and declined to return calls placed by Scrape News. And insider spoke with us on the condition of anonymity. “We are attempting to appeal to as many people as possible. The idea isn’t to segregate people, but to bring them together with they are skinny or fat. We want all people to be able to play. We feel that the Wii can bring people of all walks of life together for a common good, and this new remote is just an extension of that.”

“It’s an interesting situation,” said Scrape TV legal analyst Gabe Hawthorne. “On one hand, there is the argument that a person going into a store and requesting this larger controller could be seen forcing them into a position of emphasizing a stereotype and subjecting them to potential ridicule. On the other hand, no one would make the same argument about say a triple extra large shirt. I don’t know of any precedent that would allow this type of lawsuit to move forward successfully. My guess is the suit won’t make it past the local level, but stranger things have happened.”

So far, plans for the August release are still on track. Nintendo’s shares were unaffected as the lawsuit was filed after markets closed on Friday.

Douglas Havermore, Games Correspondent

NEWS > GAMES > NINTENDO SUED OVER “FAT WIIMOTE”