Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company that makes and sells video games worldwide. It creates, sells, and produces video games and game consoles.

Nintendo was started in 1889 by a craftsman named Fusajiro Yamauchi. He made handmade hanafuda playing cards. Over time, Nintendo tried many different businesses and became a public company. In the 1960s, it began making toys, and later, video games. Nintendo made its first arcade games in the 1970s and released its first system, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. The company became very successful internationally in the 1980s after releasing the arcade game Donkey Kong (1981) and the Nintendo Entertainment System, which was launched with Super Mario Bros. in 1985 outside Japan.

Since then, Nintendo has created some of the most popular video game consoles, including the Game Boy (1989), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991), the Game Boy Advance (2001), the Nintendo DS (2004), the Wii (2006), and the Nintendo Switch (2017). It has also made or published many well-known game series, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Metroid, Kirby, and Star Fox. Mario, Nintendo’s mascot, is one of the most famous fictional characters. Other characters, like Luigi, Donkey Kong, Samus, Link, Kirby, Pikachu, and Fox, are also well-known worldwide. Films and a theme park area based on Nintendo’s games have been created.

As of May 2025, Nintendo’s game consoles have sold more than 860 million units worldwide, and over 5.9 billion individual games have been sold. The company has many branches in Japan and other countries, as well as other companies that help develop games for Nintendo, such as HAL Laboratory, Intelligent Systems, and Game Freak. Nintendo is one of the richest and most valuable companies in Japan.

History

Nintendo was founded on September 23, 1889, in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi as an unregistered business called Nintendo Koppai. The company initially made and sold Japanese playing cards, known as karuta, including hanafuda, or "flower cards." The name "Nintendo" is often thought to mean "leave luck to heaven," but this idea has no historical proof. Another theory suggests it might mean "the temple of free hanafuda," but even Yamauchi's descendants do not know the true meaning.

After Japan banned most gambling in 1882, hanafuda became popular because it was allowed. Yakuza-run gaming parlors in Kyoto helped boost sales of the cards. Other companies left the market to avoid being linked to crime, but Yamauchi continued producing hanafuda. As demand grew, Yamauchi hired workers to make more cards. However, the business struggled financially because it operated in a small market, manufacturing was slow and expensive, and the cards were costly and long-lasting, which reduced sales. To solve this, Nintendo created a cheaper line of cards called Tengu and expanded to cities like Osaka, where card games were profitable. Local merchants liked the idea of selling new decks regularly, which avoided suspicion about reusing old cards.

Nintendo’s first Western-style card deck was sold in Japan around 1902, though some records say 1907, after the Russo-Japanese War. These cards became popular both in Japan and abroad. At this time, the company was called Marufuku Nintendo Card Co. The war made it harder for leisure businesses to operate, as new taxes, like the "playing cards tax," were added. Nintendo survived and in 1907 partnered with Nihon Senbai (later Japan Tobacco) to sell cards in cigarette stores. A promotional calendar from 1915 showed the business was named Yamauchi Nintendo but still used the Marufuku Nintendo Co. brand.

Japanese tradition required Yamauchi to adopt his son-in-law to ensure the family business continued after his retirement. In 1907, Sekiryo Kaneda took the Yamauchi name and became the company’s leader in 1929. By then, Nintendo was the largest playing card business in Japan.

In 1933, Kaneda officially formed the company as a partnership called Yamauchi Nintendo & Co., Ltd., and built a new headquarters near the original building. Kaneda planned to adopt Shikanojo Inaba, an artist and father of his grandson Hiroshi, but Inaba left the family and company. Hiroshi later became the company’s leader.

World War II hurt Nintendo because Japan banned foreign card games, and people focused less on recreation. Hiroshi’s wife, Michiko Inaba, from a wealthy family, helped the company financially. In 1947, Kaneda created Marufuku Co., Ltd., which later became Nintendo Co., Ltd.

In 1950, Hiroshi Yamauchi became president after Kaneda’s health worsened. He changed the company’s name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd., and centralized manufacturing in Kyoto, expanding offices in Kamitakamatsu-cho. In 1953, Nintendo became the first company in Japan to mass-produce plastic playing cards. Some employees opposed these changes, leading to a strike, but Hiroshi dismissed some workers to continue operations.

In 1959, Nintendo moved its headquarters to Kamitakamatsu-cho, Kyoto. The company partnered with Walt Disney Productions to include Disney characters on cards, which helped sell more to children. Nintendo automated card production and expanded into toy stores. By 1961, Nintendo had a Tokyo branch and sold over 1.5 million card packs. In 1962, Nintendo became a public company by listing stock on the Osaka and Kyoto Stock Exchanges. The company changed its name to Nintendo & Co., Ltd. and started making games in addition to cards.

In 1964, Nintendo earned ¥150 million but relied heavily on Disney-themed cards for children. Sales of adult-oriented cards dropped as people preferred other hobbies like pachinko and bowling. After the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Nintendo’s stock price fell to ¥60.

In 1965, Nintendo hired Gunpei Yokoi to maintain card-making machines. In 1969, Yamauchi expanded research and development, led by Hiroshi Imanishi, and moved Yokoi to the new department. Yokoi’s work in electronics led him to manage the games department. Nintendo built a new plant in Uji, near Kyoto, and sold tabletop games like chess and mahjong under the Nippon Game brand.

In 1970, Nintendo’s stock was listed on the first section of the Osaka Stock Exchange, and its headquarters was rebuilt. The year marked a major change as Nintendo released Japan’s first electronic toy, the Beam Gun, designed by Masayuki Uemura. Over a million units were sold. Nintendo also partnered with Magnavox to create a light gun controller based on the Beam Gun design.

Products

Nintendo's main goal is to research, create, make, and share entertainment products, especially video game software and hardware, as well as card games. Its primary markets are Japan, America, and Europe, with more than 70% of its total sales coming from America and Europe. As of May 2025, Nintendo's game consoles have sold over 860 million units, and more than 5.9 billion video games have been sold worldwide.

Since the release of the Color TV-Game in 1977, Nintendo has made and sold home, handheld, specialized, and hybrid consoles. In the 1980s, its first successful consoles were the Game & Watch and the Nintendo Entertainment System. In the 1990s, Nintendo introduced new home consoles, including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Nintendo 64, and achieved global success with the Game Boy handheld console. In the 2000s, Nintendo had major success with the Nintendo DS and Wii. These consoles come with many accessories and controllers, such as the NES Zapper, the Game Boy Camera, the Super NES Mouse, the Rumble Pak, the Wii MotionPlus, the Wii U Pro Controller, and the Switch Pro Controller.

Nintendo's first electronic games were arcade games. EVR Race (1975) was the company's first electromechanical game, and Donkey Kong (1981) was the first platform game ever made. Since then, Nintendo and other companies have created and sold many video games for Nintendo's consoles. Nintendo's games are sold on physical media, such as optical discs and cartridges, and online through services like the Nintendo eShop and the Nintendo Network.

Corporate structure

Nintendo's internal research and development operations are divided into three main divisions:

• Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD): This is the main division responsible for creating and producing video games and software. It also oversees the development process.
• Nintendo Platform Technology Development (PTD): This division focuses on designing hardware for home and handheld video game consoles.
• Nintendo Business Development (NBD): This division works on improving business strategies for Nintendo’s game systems and manages the company’s smart device projects.

The Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) division was created in 2015 by combining two earlier divisions. It is led by Shinya Takahashi and has the largest number of employees at Nintendo, including more than 800 engineers, producers, and designers.

The Nintendo Platform Technology Development (PTD) division was formed by merging two previous groups. It is led by Ko Shiota and is responsible for designing hardware, developing operating systems, and maintaining the Nintendo Network.

The Nintendo Business Development (NBD) division was created after Nintendo started making software for smart devices like phones and tablets. It helps shape business plans for Nintendo’s game systems and manages smart device projects.

Important members of Nintendo’s leadership include Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Shibata, and Chris Meledandri, who is the CEO of Illumination Entertainment. Other key executives are Yoshiaki Koizumi, Takashi Tezuka, and others in the Entertainment Planning & Development division.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. has been based in Kyoto, Japan, since its founding. It manages the company’s global operations and oversees activities in Japan. Two major subsidiaries, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe, handle operations in North America and Europe, respectively. In 2000, Nintendo moved its headquarters to a new location in Minami-ku, Kyoto, after previously operating in Higashiyama-ku.

Nintendo established its North American subsidiary, Nintendo of America (NoA), in 1980. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo’s president, chose his son-in-law, Minoru Arakawa, to lead NoA. Arakawa hired his wife, Yoko Yamauchi, as the first employee. The Arakawa family moved to New York to start the business, aiming to enter the large U.S. arcade game market. The parent company in Japan provided initial funding and game supplies.

In 1980, NoA partnered with Far East Video, a Seattle-based company, to distribute Nintendo games in the U.S. Far East Video’s founders, Ron Judy and Al Stone, promised to sell all Nintendo games if the company created popular titles. NoA’s first major order was for 3,000 Radar Scope arcade machines, but the game failed in the U.S. market. This led to financial difficulties for NoA.

To reduce costs and improve operations, NoA moved from New York to Seattle, which is closer to Japan and has a strong arcade cabinet manufacturing industry. A warehouse in Tukwila, Seattle, was rented from Mario Segale, after whom the famous Mario character was named. The warehouse was managed by Don James and later by Howard Phillips, who became a key manager.

NoA faced ongoing financial challenges until Shigeru Miyamoto, a young developer, created the game Donkey Kong, which became a huge success. The game’s popularity helped NoA recover financially. In 1982, NoA purchased land in Redmond, Washington, and later launched the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985, which revived the video game industry after a major crash in 1983.

In 1993, Nintendo of America introduced the Nintendo Gateway System. Over the following decades, the company’s operations were reorganized, and key business functions were moved to an office in Redwood City, California. Today, Nintendo’s distribution centers are located in Nintendo Atlanta (Georgia) and Nintendo North Bend (Washington).

Marketing

Nintendo of America has used many well-known marketing campaigns to build and shape its brand. One of its first and most lasting slogans was "Now you're playing with power!" This was used to promote the Nintendo Entertainment System. The slogan was changed to "SUPER power" for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and "PORTABLE power" for the Game Boy.

In 1994, Nintendo's "Play It Loud!" campaign focused on teenage rebellion and helped create an edgy image. During the Nintendo 64 era, the slogan was "Get N or get out." For the GameCube era, the slogan "Who Are You?" suggested a connection between games and players' identities. The Nintendo DS was promoted with the tagline "Touching is Good." The Wii used the slogan "Wii would like to play" to promote the console, including games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Paper Mario. The Nintendo 3DS used the slogan "Take a look inside." The Wii U used the slogan "How U will play next." The Nintendo Switch uses the slogan "Switch and Play" in North America and "Play anywhere, anytime, with anyone" in other regions.

During the 1990s, when Nintendo was very successful, its name was often used to refer to any video game console, even if it was not made by Nintendo. To protect its trademark, Nintendo encouraged the use of the term "game console" and successfully kept its trademark from becoming generic.

Nintendo operates or licenses retail stores worldwide.

In Hong Kong, a third-party franchisee runs several Nintendo Switch-focused retail stores under the name NSEW. The first store opened in March 2020 in Sham Shui Po. Two more stores later opened, along with a temporary pop-up store at Hong Kong International Airport.

Another Nintendo Switch-focused store, Assemble, is in Wan Chai. It opened on 14 November 2024 and has a section dedicated to Cygames, a third-party developer and publisher.

In June 2019, Nintendo's official Israeli distributor, TorGaming Ltd., opened the second physical Nintendo retail store in the world, called Nintendo Israel, at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. This was the second-largest launch at Dizengoff Center.

On 1 February 2019, Nintendo announced it would open Nintendo Tokyo at Shibuya Parco department store in the Fall of that year. This was its first self-managed store in Japan. The store opened on 22 November 2019.

Since Nintendo Tokyo opened, two more stores in Japan have opened. Nintendo Osaka opened on 11 November 2022 at Daimaru Umeda department store in Kita-ku as a store-within-a-store. Nintendo Kyoto, located in Takashimaya Department Store in Kyoto, opened on 17 October 2023.

In May 2012, Shas Samurai, Nintendo's official representative in Saudi Arabia, opened a "Nintendo World Store" at Al Faisaliah Mall in Riyadh.

Nintendo's first retail store, Nintendo World (now Nintendo New York), opened on 14 May 2005 at the former location of the Pokémon Center in Rockefeller Center, New York City.

Nintendo's second US store, Nintendo San Francisco, opened in Union Square on 15 May 2025.

The Nintendo of America headquarters in Redmond, Washington, has a private store open only to employees and invited guests.

Nintendo also launched official pop-up stores in 2021 in several Japanese cities and later in 2023 in Seoul, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Since the 1960s, Nintendo's most recognizable logo is the ovoid racetrack shape, especially the red-colored wordmark on a white background. This was used in Western markets from 1985 to 2006. In Japan, a monochromatic version without a colored background was used on Nintendo's Famicom, Super Famicom, Nintendo 64, GameCube, and handheld console packaging and marketing, using blue. Since 2006, with the launch of the Wii, Nintendo changed its logo to a gray variant without a colored background inside the wordmark, making it transparent. The official corporate logo remains this version. For consumer products and marketing, a white variant on a red background has been used since 2016, becoming standard with the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017.

• 1889–1950
• 1950–1960
• 1960–1965
• 1965–1967
• 1967–1968
• 1968–1970
• 1970–1972
• 1972–1975
• 1975–present (red coloring in Western markets)
• 1975 logo with grey coloring, 2004–2016
• 1975 logo with red background, 2016–present

Policy

Nintendo has kept a large amount of cash reserves instead of using the extra money for investments, buying back company shares, or paying dividends to shareholders. This policy was started by Hiroshi Yamauchi. As of September 2025, Nintendo is estimated to have ¥1.5 trillion in cash, which is about 120% of its total sales. This cash helped Nintendo recover from poor sales of the GameCube and Wii U and supported long-term projects.

In March 2026, Nintendo of America filed a lawsuit to request a refund after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the second Trump administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs was illegal. The lawsuit asks for an unspecified refund (plus interest) and states that Nintendo was harmed by the illegal tariffs. The lawsuit also mentions tariffs on countries such as Mexico, Canada, and China.

For many years, Nintendo had strict rules about what could be in video games on its consoles. In Japan, Nintendo allowed graphic violence but banned nudity and sexuality. Former president Hiroshi Yamauchi believed allowing pornographic games would harm the company’s image. Nintendo of America added more restrictions, such as banning nudity, profanity, blood, graphic violence, drugs, political messages, or religious symbols (except for rarely practiced religions like the Greek Pantheon). Nintendo worried that enforcing Japanese standards on North American and European children might be seen as a “Japanese invasion.” Some exceptions existed: games like Bionic Commando, Smash TV, and Golgo 13 included human violence or implied sexuality, while River City Ransom and Taboo: The Sixth Sense included nudity or religious images.

Nintendo’s content rules affected the Mortal Kombat game. The Genesis version sold more than double the Super NES version because Nintendo forced its publisher to change red blood to look like white sweat and reduce violent graphics. Sega kept the violent content in the Genesis version (with a code to unlock it). Nintendo later allowed the uncensored Mortal Kombat II on the Super NES with a content warning. Early Megami Tensei games were not localized for the West due to religious symbol rules. The first Megami Tensei game localized for the West was Jack Bros on the Virtual Boy, with mainline titles like Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (2010) and later Persona games released on Nintendo consoles.

Video game ratings systems, like the ESRB (1994) and PEGI (2003), were introduced, and Nintendo stopped most of its censorship rules, letting consumers decide what to play. Today, changes to game content are usually made by developers or, sometimes, at Nintendo’s request. The only rule is that ESRB AO-rated games are not allowed on Nintendo consoles in North America, a rule also followed by Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo later allowed mature-rated games like Perfect Dark, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Doom, Resident Evil, and Mortal Kombat on its consoles.

Some games were still modified. For example, Konami removed cigarette references from Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (2000) but kept them in earlier versions. Blood and maiming were removed from the Nintendo 64 version of Cruis’n USA. In Mega Man Zero 3, the boss “Hellbat Schilt” was renamed “Devilbat Schilt” in North America. Enemies killed with a saber attack did not bleed in North American versions. The Wii and Wii U released controversial games like Manhunt 2, No More Heroes, The House of the Dead: Overkill, and MadWorld. The Call of Duty series also appeared on the Wii and Wii U.

Some mature-rated games on the Nintendo Switch and its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, were not changed. Games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 were released without modifications. However, Dispatch (2026) was censored, with developers citing Nintendo’s content policies as the reason.

Before 1993, Nintendo of America required licensees to follow strict rules for games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, enforced through the 10NES lockout chip. Rules included:
– Licensees could not release the same game on a competing console for two years.
– Nintendo decided how many cartridges licensees could receive.
– Nintendo controlled how much space was used in Nintendo Power magazine for ads.
– Licensees had to order a minimum number of cartridges.
– Licensees could make only five games per year to avoid over-saturation, which had caused the 1983 video game crash.

This rule was avoided by companies like Konami, which created new publishers (Ultra Games and Palcom) to make more games. Smaller companies struggled to follow these rules. Square Co. (now Square Enix) later shifted focus to Sony’s PlayStation due to Nintendo’s strict control and censorship of games like Final Fantasy VI.

In 1993, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Nintendo for using the lockout chip to enable unfair business practices. The case was settled, with California consumers receiving $3 coupons for Nintendo games.

Legacy

Nintendo has made many important changes in the video game industry over the years. These changes have not always been popular, but Nintendo's influence on gaming is very strong. The company is widely seen as one of the most important in the industry.

Hiroshi Yamauchi's choices helped Nintendo enter the world of electronic games. This decision was key to the company's success and helped the gaming industry survive after a difficult time in the early 1980s. By 1991, Nintendo was the most successful company in Japan. Its products changed how people play games, and its business plan focused on selling game titles instead of selling consoles, which was different from what many other companies did at the time.

Nintendo's focus on quality and innovation has made it a company that puts customers first. This has helped it stand out from competitors like Sony and Microsoft. Since 2013, Forbes magazine has listed Nintendo as one of the "World's Best Employers," considering factors like workplace conditions and diversity. In 2018, Time magazine named Nintendo one of the "50 Genius Companies" of the year, noting its ability to recover from challenges and the success of its Nintendo Switch compared to its earlier product, the Wii U. In 2018, Nintendo had more than ten billion yen in capital and over nine billion dollars in sales, mostly from the North American market. This made it one of Japan's wealthiest and most valuable companies.

Nintendo's characters have had a big influence on modern culture. Mario, for example, started as a company mascot but is now a very famous figure in the gaming world. John Taylor of Arcadia Investment Corp. said Mario is the most valuable character in electronic gaming. Other well-known characters include Princess Peach, Pikachu, Link, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and Samus Aran.