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Why wasn't the Genesis called the Mega Drive in the US?

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
Seriously, I hate when the US has the irresistible urge to take something completely fine and ruin it or make it worse for no good reason. (Purple Super Nintendo) In the case of Mega Drive, it was decided that they call it Genesis for the US market. This makes no sense and honestly, I never liked the name. "Genesis"

It just seemed incredibly stupid. Is or was anyone else bothered by this change? I still kinda hate it.
 

slothrop

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Aug 28, 2019
3,874
USA
Basically the marketing team has to justify their salary. Internal corporate politics drive a lot of this stuff, but it doesn't really matter, it's just a name.

Edit: here there was specifically a trademark dispute though in the territory. But what I said above is true of a lot of internal naming weirdness. It's incredibly how many peoples salary can get tied up in it hah
 
ciddative

ciddative

Member
Apr 5, 2018
4,618
It's inferior for sure, seeing as we in the Uk got Mega Drive. I'd also love to know the reasons given
 
Dyle

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,874
They couldn't call it the Mega Drive but Genesis is a much better name than the Mega Drive anyway. It's short, totally unique, and has the kind of quirky flair you only see out of stuff like the dreamcast, gamecube, and switch. Than they screwed it up with the 32X and Sega CD.
 

Deleted member 17210

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,569
Caiusto said:
Because they couldn't call it Mega Drive, simple as that.
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According to to David Rosen, that wasn't the case.

en.wikipedia.org

Sega Genesis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

[Sega co-founder David Rosen] was also responsible for renaming the machine for the American market. It has been suggested that this was the result of a trademark dispute, but Rosen is adamant he simply didn't like the term 'Mega Drive'. 'I came up with the name "Genesis" because I felt this would be a new beginning for Sega,' he explains. 'At first, the Japanese management didn't care for the word, but I insisted on it.'
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Deleted member 721

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Oct 25, 2017
10,416
hum i thought it would be due to religion or something, since in that time they would censor a bunch of religious stuff in games
 
Cess007

Cess007

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,070
B.C., Mexico
As someone who has no love for Sega hardware (was a Nintendo fanboy back in the day) and never owned a Sega console until many years after the Dreamcast death:

Genesis is a better name than Megadrive
 
Bathory

Bathory

Member
Dec 8, 2020
773
I don't know the reason, but here in Brazil is called Mega Drive and Genesis for me will always be a band.
 
MrNewVegas

MrNewVegas

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,700
It had to do with the religious culture of the US. Sega understood that NES was shunned by this sect of the US. The marketing team had to come up with something that was cool enough to appeal to the kids but safe enough for the parents.

They were torn between The Leviticus or The Genesis.
 
Cess007

Cess007

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,070
B.C., Mexico
VDenter said:
Genesis might make sense for Sega's first system. This was not the first one.
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It's not like Mega Drive made any sense neither. It's not like Nintendo where added the word "Super" to imply superiority/improvement over their past console (In Sega's case, Mega Master System could had made a lil more sense, I guess?)

They just were a couple of cool names, and in that regard, I think Genesis sounds cooler
 
empo

empo

Member
Jan 27, 2018
3,101
mega drive is so much cooler, also mega-cd
who doesn't like stuff that is MEGA?
 
catpurrcat

catpurrcat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,789
Genesis marketing was legendary at the time. They held their own against Nintendo who had a much superior software library.

Sega America was genius
 
Virtua King

Virtua King

Member
Dec 29, 2017
3,971
Genesis is 10X cooler and memorable than Mega Drive, plus it's all I can think about whenever I watch Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
255
The technical reason is because of that trademark dispute, but it should be because "Mega Drive" is a bad, boring name with none of the cool factor that "Genesis" has. I'm honestly not sure if a system called the Mega Drive would have taken off here like the Genesis did.
 
fiendcode

fiendcode

Member
Oct 26, 2017
24,905
As an American who did have a Genesis back the day I still prefer MegaDrive. Also Mega CD is better than Sega CD.
 
Neuroxia

Neuroxia

Member
Mar 31, 2019
953
I love it how all the US people say that the Genesis name is cooler and more legendary.
Well obviously it sound like that to you because you grew up with it.

It's exactly the opposite for the rest of us. (minus some exceptions)
I grew up with the Mega Drive and simply having Mega in the name is 100 time better than Genesis.

Edit: It doesn't mean that one party is right and the other one is wrong.
 
treasureyez

treasureyez

Member
Nov 23, 2017
1,336
I always thought the Mega Drive was an accessory based on its name before I knew the actual origin. Genesis is definitely a cooler name.
 
MaxAugust

MaxAugust

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Jan 28, 2018
3,139
Genesis as a name always felt like it fits in more with the later names (Saturn, Dreamcast) because it seems more grand. Mega Drive sounds more like Master System.
 

Deleted member 17210

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Neuroxia said:
I love it how all the US people say that the Genesis name is cooler and more legendary.
Well obviously it sound like that to you because you grew up with it.
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I'm in Canada where it was called Genesis (although I did own a bunch of Japanese MD games back then). I preferred the Mega Drive name at the time.

Today, though, I think Genesis stands out more. Mega Drive isn't bad but it sounds more like generic PC parts.
 
Glassjaw

Glassjaw

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
131
I'm still perplexed by the Nintendo SNES form factor decision. One of the most unsightly systems ever. Would have much preferred the Japanese/European counterpart. As far as the Genesis name I have no problems with it. The Sega Genesis name is so synonymous with a great period of time in my life that it will forever stick.
 
JimD

JimD

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Aug 17, 2018
3,494
Keep in mind, the US already had plenty of products labeled "drive" at the time the Genesis released. Hard drives had become standard in PCs, but floppy drives, and specifically external floppy drives, were really common. So you had a gaming and computer segment of your potential customers who viewed a "drive" as an accessory.

Getting your new console confused with an accessory isn't the best way to grow the brand in the market. Like or hate the name Genesis, at least it's unique.
 
Nerdkiller

Nerdkiller

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Oct 25, 2017
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Said it before and I'll say it again...

mega_drive_is_what_genesisnt.png
 
LinkSlayer64

LinkSlayer64

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Jun 6, 2018
2,283
Glassjaw said:
I'm still perplexed by the Nintendo SNES form factor decision. One of the most unsightly systems ever. Would have much preferred the Japanese/European counterpart. As far as the Genesis name I have no problems with it. The Sega Genesis name is so synonymous with a great period of time in my life that it will forever stick.
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might be a rumor, but wasn't the American redesign supposedly based off the issue of people putting their drinks on the flat NES, and spilling them and ruining the console? So they designed the SNES so you could fit a standard cup on it anywhere and prevent people from doing it?
 
Combichristoffersen

Combichristoffersen

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,756
Because the US couldn't handle the awesomeness of Mega Drive, and had to settle with weak-ass shitty Genesis.

Edit: Sega had a knack for some shit-ass console names. Going from awesome names like Master System and Mega Drive to shit like Saturn and Dreamcast? Fucking LOL.
 
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