N++ is an absolutely stellar game. I even like the unconventional name and appreciate developer Metanet Software’s continued embrace of the N name first used for its original Flash creation more than two decades ago. But it’s also a name that comes with some issues, perhaps best demonstrated by the game’s name on Steam being followed by “(NPLUSPLUS).” So what do you do when you’re making a multiplayer follow-up and need to come up with a name?
“It’s always been hard for us to name these things,” Metanet’s Raigan Burns said when asked about the name of the newly announced N+ Infinity Times Two. “We think N was absolutely the perfect name for the original game, but unfortunately, we had a serious search-engine problem, to the point where if you go into Steam or Xbox or PlayStation and type N++, it’s really hard to find our game.”
It’s a problem that a developer like Remedy has also no doubt dealt with; using a single, common word like “Control” is going to make your game a nightmare to search for. (I can also personally attest, as someone involved with providing feedback on the search functionality on the recently relaunched GameSpot website: Search is hard!)
Metanet was aware of the potential issues with the name for N+ going into its release, yet it was only once the game became publicly available that the extent of the problem became clear.
“It was upsetting because it was a thing we were aware of,” Burns said. “When you’re making a PlayStation game, there’s a parallel, private version of the store. And so in that version of the store, we were the first search result when you search N++. So everything was fine until launch day. And then, [on] launch day, we discovered, oh, the public version of the store, for some reason, search works differently, and we’re like on the fifth page of results. Anyways, you know, live and learn. It’s just, I mean, this entire series is a process of learning from our mistakes. It’s like the development of the game parallels the way the game actually plays.”
Having had that experience, Metanet had a lot to consider with the name for what would ultimately become N+ Infinity Times Two.
“Part of it was just like, what do we want to call this one? We went through N to the power of N, and like every symbol over the years, we’ve tried it. We’ve tried thinking of it.”
Setting aside the complexity of trying to search for NN, other ideas were considered, including a hilarious alternative for a game focused on multiplayer. “At one point, this game was called M for multiplayer,” Burns said.
“We even toyed with the idea of abandoning N as a moniker and just calling it something like The Ninjas. Because as much as we have this awesome fan base, statistically, 99% of people haven’t played an N game in their lives, and we definitely designed this one to be the Super Mario World, where it caters to the fans of the series, but it also serves as a great jumping-off point for anyone who’s never played one of these games before. So we were thinking if we call it N [Something], we’re going to have a Godfather 3-type problem where we don’t want to give people the impression that you need to have previous experience with the series. … N++ was for our hardcore fans. It was absolutely, 100% a love letter to the people who have been playing for a decade.”
One of Metanet’s desires for the name was thus to convey Infinity Times Two can appeal to a wider audience.
“It’s not like I’m stuck for six hours on the same level trying to beat it. It’s multiplayer. So it’s like every couple minutes, the level’s over, there’s a winner, and then you’re on to the next level. So it’s a totally different kind of vibe. We exhausted every possibility. We didn’t have a name we liked.”
In came producer Nick Suttner, who suggested something like N Infinity. That was initially deemed to be “kind of boring,” although it served as the springboard to the eventual name.
“I think Mare [Sheppard, N co-creator] had the idea of, okay, N++ was serious. We’re silly people, and it had some silliness, but it was a bit serious. This one, we’re really trying to embrace the fun in this [and] our silly personalities. So why not lean into the absurdity of–the whole series at this point is a bit surreally comical. So, N+ Infinity Times Two, we think, has just the right amount of playful, tongue-in-cheek, kind of self-deprecating humor that we like, while also communicating it’s a different proposition than other sets of things. It’s a bit unique, it’s quirky, it’s weird.”
But just what does that “Infinity Times Two” refer to, aside from presenting players with another question of what to search for exactly (N+ Infinity x2? N Plus Infinity Times Two?)? I wondered if Metanet considered it due to the way the game emphasizes replayability and the infinite nature of a multiplayer experience.
“Not until just now,” Burns says. “But that is a wonderful angle that we’re certainly going to integrate into our understanding of it.”
