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WiiU

Nintendo's (or Bloober Team's) Weird Viral Phone Call

by Neal Ronaghan - June 2, 2012, 7:20 pm EDT
Total comments: 16

Nintendo, or some overzealous uber-creepy fan, called press from an unknown number teasing Wii U.

UPDATE: So this might have to do with a mysterious postcard some NWR staffers got last week about Medium, a game apparently by Bloober Team. The Wii U in the phone call might have been Medium. I guess maybe we will find out soon enough.

The original post is below:

Earlier today, I got a phone call from an unknown number. I normally don't answer calls like that, but I figured "eh, why not?" and answered.

"Hello?" I asked. I heard some muffled noises on the other ends. It was extremely faint. I repeated: "Hello?"

"Do you know about Wii U?" The odd voice on the other side said. "If not, you will."

To be completely honest, I wrote it off at first, thinking it was someone pranking me. I checked Twitter and saw other Nintendo-covering journalists also sharing the same weird phone call. Then I realized that Nintendo is engaging is some weird, freaky viral marketing for Wii U.

Hours later, Nintendo announced the Pre-E3 Nintendo Direct, airing at 6 p.m. EDT/3 p.m. PDT in North America, and similar times across the globe (10 p.m. UTC).

Fasten your seatbelts, gang. It is about to get crazy.

Talkback

TurdFurgyJune 02, 2012

Okay, it was me.

OblivionJune 02, 2012

Could I have a link to those tweets?

broodwarsJune 02, 2012

"The Nintendo Wii U. Buy it, or we'll send a serial killer after you."

You know! For Kids!

I seriously hope this is just some overzealous and creepy fanboy harassing you guys, because it's too creepy to imagine actually being an official Nintendo marketing strategy.

pololmejorJune 02, 2012

Man, this is amazing! I don't think this case will ever be solved but whatever that phonecall was, It was a smart move. I may have to skip the launch though, which is incredibly sad :(
What day is Pre-E3 again BTW?

OblivionJune 02, 2012

Woah, how did they get your number? Do you have like a journalist phone number or something?

I got this too. I'm assuming they pulled the phone numbers from our E3 registration.

OblivionJune 02, 2012

That is actually kind of awesome. Maybe it's just an E3 guy who got hold of the numbers and decided to play a joke?

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorJune 02, 2012

I want weird Nintendo-related phone calls (*looks down at signature*)

supergttJune 02, 2012

medium. this generation's sadness. book it.

randomflashbangJune 02, 2012

Do I smell Insanity Effects? Eternal Darkness 2 BUILT INTO THE CONSOLE :O

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterJune 03, 2012

I got the call in the afternoon too! It was so freaky and weird! I actually could only hear half of what was it was saying.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorJune 03, 2012

GoNintendo has a recorded copy of the call that was left in RMC's voice mail...

ShyGuyJune 03, 2012

Was it Unclebob? I think he has your number Neal.

Given the people who were called and the accent, I'm guessing it's Medium as well. I never got the postcard or the call, but I did get an e-mail with a link to the site a week prior.

RasJune 03, 2012

The telephone is ringing.  Is that Nintendo on the phone?
The telephone is screaming!  Won't they leave me alone?

If Bloober Team calls you twice, is that a Double Bloob?

plufimJune 03, 2012

If it is Bloober Team, then the smart money is that this game will never come out. They're as bad as the team they spawned from (Nibris). They couldn't even finish that Wiiware game they announced in 2008 (Last Flight).

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