Hatch Tales

After a successful Kickstarter, Atooi recently decided to change the name of its upcoming Switch release, Chicken Wiggle Workshop. It's now officially known as Hatch Tales. At the time, the developer said it was to avoid customer confusion. Over on the official Atooi website, the reason for this decision has been explained in full by Jools Watsham.

I often try to step back from our projects and view them from an outside perspective. I ask myself, “How might this game appear to a newcomer?” First impressions are incredibly important with games. Many players’ first meeting with a new game is on the digital store, such as the Nintendo Switch eShop. The eShop banner! The eShop banner is so important, and I don’t think that can be overstated. The job of an eShop banner is to communicate what the game is in an exciting and informative manner while trying to stand out from the sea of other banners that surround it, so the only question left for the customer is “Am I interested in this?” It should never leave the player with the question, “What is this?”

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When I stepped away and looked back at Chicken Wiggle Workshop from an outsider’s perspective, one thing was clear. The name is confusing. It is fun, sure. It’s a bit silly, too, which is fine. But, I feel that it creates more questions than it answers. What is Chicken Wiggle? Is it a dance? What is Workshop? Is this a building game? What type of game is this? The fact that the game originated on the 3DS will be unknown to most newcomers, so the idea that there is brand awareness is sadly not something the game can leverage.

Although the level builder is a "huge component" within the game, it's more of a bonus than the main feature. The name Hatch Tales also suggests there's more story content than before:

Change can be tough. It can be difficult to let go of what we once felt comfortable with, but I hope you can join me in (eventually) embracing the new name. I think it matches the game perfectly and helps put the emphasis on the adventure aspect of the game, which is really at the heart of the game. The level builder is a huge component of the game, for sure, but I feel it will be appreciated by players more when it is discovered as a delicious bonus instead of being the main feature of the game.

For the purists and detail-hounds out there, yes, the main character’s name is now Hatch, which means Hatch Tales is basically saying tales about Hatch. 😊 However, it can also be seen from a different perspective, which is rather exciting, when you consider the level creator. Each level the player creates could be considered a little tale, which they hatched. Players can hatch tales, too!

One other small tease, before I go. The name, Hatch Tales, is plural. Could this mean there is more story content than before? Hm, I wonder…

If you haven't played the 3DS original, Hatch Tales is described as a port of it with new HD artwork and retro graphics. All the levels created in the 3DS version will apparently be featured in the upcoming Switch release, which is not yet dated. For more information about this project, check out the official Kickstarter page.

What do you think of the name change? Share your thoughts down below.

[source atooi.com]