Nintendo’s Bill Trinen Explains Where The Amiibo Name Came From

Entering E3 earlier this year, we all knew that Nintendo was going to be unveiling their own NFC figure line known as amiibo to compete with the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity. Now, the day is finally here that consumers can go out and buy the abundance of amiibo from the first wave to use in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and a few other games. However, until now, we had no idea where the name amiibo actually came from, but now we do.

Nintendo’s director of project marketing Bill Trinen was interviewed by TIME magazine, where he gave a little bit of history about the amiibo name.

• “They came up with the name in Japan, and the ‘amii’ portion comes from a little something in Japanese that conveys the sentiment of friend, of playing with your friend. That’s what they’re really trying to convey with it. I think for us it sounds a little like amigo. That’s not the origin of the name, but it conveys the intent.”