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Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Nintendo
Native name
任天堂株式会社
Nintendō kabushiki gaisha
Industry
Founded23 September 1889; 135 years ago (1889-09-23)
Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan
FounderFusajiro Yamauchi
Headquarters
Minami-ku, Kyoto
,
Japan
Key people
ProductsNintendo video game consoles (products list)
Brands
Websitenintendo.com

Nintendo Co., Ltd.[a] is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.

The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi founded the company to produce handmade hanafuda playing cards. After venturing into various lines of business and becoming a public company, Nintendo began producing toys in the 1960s, and later video games. Nintendo developed its first arcade games in the 1970s, and distributed its first system, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. The company became internationally dominant in the 1980s after the arcade release of Donkey Kong (1981) and the Nintendo Entertainment System, which launched outside of Japan alongside Super Mario Bros. in 1985.

Since then, Nintendo has produced some of the most successful consoles in the video game industry, including the Game Boy (1989), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991), the Nintendo DS (2004), the Wii (2006), and the Nintendo Switch (2017). It has created or published numerous major franchises, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon. The company's mascot, Mario, is among the most famous fictional characters, and Nintendo's other characters—including Luigi, Donkey Kong, Samus, Link, Kirby, and Pikachu—have attained international recognition. Several films and a theme park area based on the company's franchises have been created.

Nintendo's game consoles have sold over 836 million units worldwide as of March 2023, and 5.6 billion individual games have been sold. The company has numerous subsidiaries in Japan and worldwide, in addition to second-party developers including HAL Laboratory, Intelligent Systems, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company. It is one of the wealthiest and most valuable companies in the Japanese market.




History

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Main article: History of Nintendo

1889–1932: Origins as a playing card business

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Nintendo's first headquarters, Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, c. 1889

Nintendo was founded on September 23, 1889 by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, as an unincorporated establishment named Nintendo Koppai[b] to produce and distribute Japanese playing cards (karuta), most notably hanafuda.[1][2] Hanafuda cards had become popular in Japan after the government banned most forms of gambling in 1882, though tolerated hanafuda, and sales of hanafuda were popular with yakuza-run gaming parlors in Kyoto.[3] The name "Nintendo" is commonly assumed to mean "leave luck to heaven",[4][5] and has also been suggested to mean "the temple of free hanafuda".[6] However, the assumptions lack historical validation and even Yamauchi's descendants do not know the true intended meaning of the name.[6]

While other card manufactures had left the hanafuda market because they did not want to be associated with its criminality, Yamauchi persisted, and became the primary producer of hanafuda within a few years.[3] To satisfy demand, Yamauchi hired assistants to mass-produce the cards.[7] Even with a favorable start, however, Nintendo faced financial struggles because of its niche market, as well as a slow and expensive manufacturing process and high product price for the cards, which had a low replacement rate because of the cards' high durability.[8] As a solution, Nintendo produced a cheaper and lower-quality line of playing cards called Tengu and expanded to other cities, such as Osaka, where card game profits were higher.[9]

 
A poster of Nintendo karuta from the Meiji era, c. 1889–1912

Nintendo's first Western-style card deck was put on the market in 1902;[10][11] third-party sources, however, indicate that the company did not produce Western-style cards until 1907, after the Russo-Japanese War.[12] Although the cards were initially intended to be exported, they gained popularity within Japan as well as in foreign countries.[10][11] The Russo-Japanese War created considerable difficulties for companies in the leisure sector, which were subject to new taxes, including the Karuta Zei ("playing cards tax").[13] Nintendo subsisted and, in 1907, entered into an agreement with Nihon Senbai (later Japan Tobacco) to market its cards to various cigarette stores throughout the country.[14] During this time, the business styled itself as Marufuku Nintendo Card Co.;[15] a Nintendo promotional calendar from the Taishō era dated to 1915 indicates that the business was named Yamauchi Nintendo[c] but still used the Marufuku Nintendo Co. brand for its playing cards.[16]

Because Japanese culture stipulated that Yamauchi needed to adopt a son-in-law to take over the business after his retirement in order for Nintendo to continue as a family business, Sekiryo Kaneda adopted the Yamauchi surname in 1907 and took over Nintendo in 1929.[17] By that time, Nintendo was the largest playing card business in Japan.[17]

1933–1968: Incorporation, expansion, and diversification

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1969–1972: Classic and electronic toys

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1973–1982: Transition to electronics and arcade games

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1983–1992: NES, Super NES, and Game Boy

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1993–2003: Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube

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2004–2010: Nintendo DS and Wii

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2011–2016: Nintendo 3DS and Wii U

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2017–present: Nintendo Switch and multimedia expansion

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The Nintendo Switch, a hybrid video game console that can serve as both a handheld and home console

Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch, the eighth-generation successor to the Wii U, on March 3, 2017.[18] The Switch is a hybrid video game console capable of changing between handheld and home-console modes; its controllers, the Joy-Cons, attached to the console and contained an accelerometer and gyroscope.[18] To expand the Switch's software library, Nintendo entered alliances with several third-party and independent developers;[19][20] by February 2019, more than 1,800 games had been released on the system.[21] By December 2024, the Nintendo Switch had sold over 150 million units, making it the third-highest selling game console of all time.[22]

The Switch launched alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), which was originally intended to be a Wii U exclusive but launched simultaneously on both systems after numerous delays. Other games released during the Nintendo Switch's first year on the market included Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, an enhanced version of the Wii U game; Splatoon 2, a sequel to the 2015 original that expanded on its concepts; and Super Mario Odyssey, a 3D platformer intended to be more similar to Super Mario 64 and Sunshine than more recent Super Mario games. Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey both received widespread critical acclaim, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe later became the Switch's best-selling game with over 67 million units sold.

In 2018, Nintendo released Nintendo Labo, a line of cardboard accessories that interact with the Switch and the Joy-Con controllers.[23] Nintendo also released Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2018, and the next year published Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, the first mainline Pokémon games able to be played on a television. The Switch received a boost in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons became the system's second-best selling game and achieved worldwide popularity during the pandemic-era lockdowns. Later first-party Nintendo Switch games included Ring Fit Adventure (2019), an exercise-based action game using a ring controller; Nintendo Switch Sports (2022), a successor to the Wii Sports games; The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), a critically-acclaimed sequel to Breath of the Wild; Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023), a 2D platformer intended to reinvent the 2D Super Mario games; and further games in the Pokémon series, including Scarlet and Violet (2022).

 
The Super Nintendo World park at Universal Studios Japan in 2021

Shuntaro Furukawa replaced Kimishima as Nintendo's president in 2018,[24] and in 2019, Doug Bowser succeeded Fils-Aimé as the president of Nintendo of America.[25] During this period, Nintendo expanded into film and other multimedia endeavors. It opened Super Nintendo World, a theme park area, opened at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka in 2021.[26][27] Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles in early 2023,[28] and the area is scheduled to open at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida and Universal Studios Singapore in 2025. The area later expanded in Osaka and Los Angeles to include "Donkey Kong Country", an expansion area of the park based on the Donkey Kong franchise.

Nintendo co-produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie in April 2023, an animated film based on the Mario franchise, alongside Universal Pictures and Illumination, with Miyamoto and Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri serving as producers.[29][30] The film has grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, setting box-office records for the biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated film, the highest-grossing film based on a video game and the 15th-highest-grossing film of all-time.[31] Furukawa had indicated Nintendo's plan to create more animated projects based on their work other than the Mario film in 2021,[32] and in June 2021 Meledandri joined Nintendo's board of directors as a non-executive outside director.[33][34] Furukawa said the company's expansion to animation productions would promote growth in its video game production by creating more opportunities for exposure to Nintendo's characters even among those who do not play video games.[35] In July 2022, Nintendo acquired Dynamo Pictures, a Japanese CG company founded by Hiroshi Hirokawa in 2011. Dynamo had worked with Nintendo on digital shorts in the 2010s, including for the Pikmin series, and Nintendo said that Dynamo would continue their goal of expanding into animation. Following the completion of the acquisition in October 2022, Nintendo renamed Dynamo as Nintendo Pictures.[36][37]

 
The building housing the Tokyo branch office of Nintendo since 2020

In April 2019, Nintendo formed an alliance with Tencent to distribute the Nintendo Switch in China starting in December.[38] By May 2022, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had purchased a 5% stake in Nintendo,[39] that had increased to 6.07% by January 2023[40] and 8.26% the next month, making it the company's largest external investor.[41][42] In November 2024, the PIF's stake dropped back to 6.3%.[43] By August 2020, Nintendo was named the richest company in Japan.[44] In February 2022, Nintendo announced the acquisition of SRD Co., Ltd. (Systems Research and Development) after 40 years, a major contributor of Nintendo's first-party games such as Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda until the 1990s, and then support studio since.[45] In May 2024, Nintendo agreed with Embracer Group to acquire 100% of the shares in Shiver Entertainment, a company that has specialized in porting AAA games like Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1 to the Switch, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo subject to closing conditions.[46][47] By November 2024, Nintendo gained full ownership of Monolith Soft, a first-party developer behind Xenoblade Chronicles and provided support for Tears of the Kingdom.[48] In 2022, Plan See Do opened a hotel in the former 1930s headquarters of Nintendo, named Marufukuro, a homage to Nintendo's previous name, Marufuku.[49][50]

In 2018, Nintendo launched Nintendo Switch Online (NSO), a subscription service providing online play on Nintendo Switch games, as well as a library of Nintendo games from various consoles, including the NES, Super NES and Game Boy. In 2022, the company introduced an additional tier of NSO, named "Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack", including games from the Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance. In 2024, it released Nintendo Music, a music streaming service featuring Nintendo's video game soundtracks for NSO subscribers. NSO's release brought an increase in Nintendo's revenue and was met with mixed reception from fans and critics.

On January 16, 2025, Nintendo announced that the successor to the Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2, would be released later in 2025.[51]

Corporate structure and subsidiaries

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Leadership and structure

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Regional branches

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Nintendo of America

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Other branches

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Game development teams

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Main article: List of Nintendo development teams

Distribution partnerships

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Products

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Main article: List of Nintendo products

Toys and games

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Video game consoles

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Main article: Nintendo video game consoles

Video games

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Film and television

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Properties and franchises

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Main article: List of Nintendo franchises
See also: Lists of Nintendo characters

Branding and marketing

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Main article: Nintendo marketing

Policy

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Content restrictions

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Licensing

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Intellectual property protection

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Main article: Intellectual property protection by Nintendo

Charity

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Environmental record

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Influence and legacy

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Video game industry

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Outside of video games

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Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: 任天堂株式会社, Hepburn: Nintendō Kabushiki gaisha
  2. ^ 任天堂骨牌, Nintendō Koppai
  3. ^ 山内任天堂, Yamauchi Nintendō

References

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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nintendo is founded, September 23, 1889 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Corporate Information : Company History". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference The birthplace of Nintendo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nintendo's 1955 Cameo In The New York Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Sheff 1999, p. 14.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Nintendo Probably Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Before Mario: Nintendo's Playing Cards, Toys And Love Hotels was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Gorges 2015a, p. 16.
  9. ^ Gorges 2015a, p. 17.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Corporate Information : Company History was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Nintendo History was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Gorges 2015a, p. 19.
  13. ^ Gorges 2015a, p. 20.
  14. ^ Gorges 2015a, p. 21.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nintendo's oldest playing cards? Marufuku No. 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference 100 year old Nintendo promotional calendar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ a b Sheff 2011, pp. 31–32.
  18. ^ a b Choudhury, Saheli Roy (January 13, 2017). "Nintendo Switch to launch globally on March 3, to cost $300 in the US". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  19. ^ Peckham, Matt (February 6, 2017). "The 8 Most Interesting Things Nintendo Told Us About Switch". Time. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  20. ^ Shae, Brian (December 29, 2017). "How Nintendo Is Changing Its Approach To Indie Developers". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  21. ^ Doolan, Liam (February 11, 2019). "More Than 1,800 Games Have Now Been Released On The Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  22. ^ "IR Information : Sales Data - Dedicated Video Game Sales Units". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  23. ^ McWhertor, Michael (January 17, 2018). "Nintendo reveals Labo, a DIY 'build-and-play experience' for Switch". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  24. ^ Morris, Chris (April 26, 2018). "Nintendo's New President Marks Start of New Dynasty". Fortune. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  25. ^ Calvert, Darren (February 21, 2019). "Reggie Fils-Aime Is Retiring After 15 Notable Years At Nintendo of America". Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  26. ^ McWhertor, Michael (December 12, 2016). "Nintendo's first Universal Studios park attraction is called Super Nintendo World". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  27. ^ Wong, Maggie Hiufu (December 1, 2020). "Super Nintendo World is opening at Universal Studios Japan in February. Here's a sneak peek". CNN. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  28. ^ Whitten, Sarah (February 17, 2023). "Look inside Super Nintendo World, which just opened at Universal Studios Hollywood". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  29. ^ Blair, Gavin J. (January 31, 2018). "'Mario' Movie to Be Produced by Nintendo and Illumination". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  30. ^ Craddock, Ryan (January 30, 2020). "Illumination's Mario Movie Is "Moving Along Smoothly", Aiming For 2022 Release". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  31. ^ Dellatto, Marisa (April 16, 2023). "Weekend Box Office: Super Mario Bros. Movie Earns Over $180 Million Worldwide In Another Massive Weekend". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  32. ^ McCracken, Harry (April 29, 2021). "As Nintendo's entertainment kingdom expands, it's still about the games". Fast Company. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  33. ^ Ankers-Range, Adele (July 5, 2021). "Nintendo Adds Despicable Me Producer to Its Board of Directors to Help It Make Movies". IGN. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference Consolidated Results for the Years Ended March 31, 2020 and 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ "Q&A Summary" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  36. ^ "Nintendo to acquire visual content company Dynamo Pictures". July 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  37. ^ Batchelor, James (October 4, 2022). "Nintendo completes Dynamo Pictures acquisition, relaunches as Nintendo Pictures". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  38. ^ Kerr, Chris (December 4, 2019). "Nintendo and Tencent have set a launch date for the Switch in China". Gamasutra. Informa. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saudi Arabia's wealth fund takes 5% Nintendo stake was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saudi Arabia's wealth fund raises Nintendo stake to 6% was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saudi Arabia's wealth fund raises Nintendo stake to 7% was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  42. ^ "Days after its last increase, Saudi Arabia yet again ups its Nintendo stake". VGC. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  43. ^ Burke, Christine; Nishizawa, Kana (November 13, 2024). "Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Wealth Fund Trims Nintendo Stake Again". BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nintendo Officially Named The Richest Company In Japan In 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ Batchelor, James (February 24, 2022). "Nintendo acquires long-running partner studio SRD Co Ltd". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  46. ^ Robinson, Andy (May 20, 2024). "Nintendo agrees deal to buy Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat Switch studio". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  47. ^ "Notice of the Acquisition of Shiver Entertainment, Inc" (PDF). Nintendo Co., Ltd. May 21, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  48. ^ Serin, Kaan (December 11, 2024). "After pumping out Xenoblade Chronicles games for a decade and helping out on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Monolith Soft is now fully owned by Nintendo". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  49. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nintendo's Old Headquarters Will Be Turned Into A Hotel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  50. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Old Nintendo Headquarters Hotel Looks Stunning Inside was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  51. ^ "Nintendo Switch 2 to be released in 2025". Nintendo. January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
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