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Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game and electronic media company based in Kyoto, Japan. Nintendo has operated since 1889, initially as a playing card company, and eventually a toy company. Nintendo entered the video game industry in 1977 with the release of Color TV-Game 6 and its companion consoles.
It was among the most significant contributors to the revival of the video game market following the market's crash in 1983, largely due to the successes of its series of arcade titles such as Donkey Kong, as well as its home console releases such as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Nintendo has since grown to become one of the largest companies in the video game market, and is now one of the three primary home console developers, alongside Xbox Game Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Several of its released titles and franchises are universally known, and many are among the best selling titles ever sold. Notable franchises created and developed by Nintendo include Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon.
Company history[]
Hanafuda cards[]
Nintendo was first founded as Yamanouchi Nintendo (山内任天堂) on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. The company began as a creator and distributor of hanafuda cards. The company eventually went under the control of Sekiryo Kaneda, who attempted to expand the brand by creating more types of cards and gambling products. Between 1963 and 1968, Nintendo also founded a chain of love hotels, as well as a taxi service. Gunpei Yokoi, who would become an influential leader in Nintendo's transition into a toy, and eventually video game company, was hired in 1965.
Expanding into the toy market[]
Yokoi was soon promoted, due to the success of his product ideas. Notable products include the Love Tester, as well as the Nintendo Beam Gun.
Nintendo eventually had a hand in the development of the Shooting Gallery, a light gun accessory for the Magnavox Odyssey video game console, in 1972. Soon, Nintendo also acquired the distribution rights to the console in Japan in 1974.
Entering the video game industry[]
Following the success of their partnership with Magnavox, Nintendo began to expand into further video game-related ventures. Nintendo began the production and release of the Color TV-Game series, which was their first major venture into the video game industry. Five consoles in the series were released, to moderate success.
Nintendo soon entered the market of arcade games with EVR Race in 1975; they soon began the development of several other arcade titles. The most important of these titles was 1981's Donkey Kong, a challenging platformer led by Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong's popularity led to its release on several different home consoles. During this period, Nintendo also developed and released the original Mario Bros..
1983 to 1995[]
Following the video game market crash of 1983, Nintendo rose to dominance, predominantly taking over the market in America, with their primary competitor now being Sega. It was at this time that Nintendo first released the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. Over the following years, throughout the majority of the 80's, the Nintendo Entertainment System would vastly outsell competition, with notable titles such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid.
Following their success with the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo proceeded to release the Game Boy - a handheld console meant predominantly for portable gaming. The Game Boy sold extremely well, outpacing even the Nintendo Entertainment System by several million units, and even growing to become one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time. Titles that notably contributed to this trend were Tetris and Super Mario Land.