Nintendo, a Japanese video game company based in Kyoto, was founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi as "Yamauchi Nintendo," a maker of hanafuda playing cards. Sekiryo Kaneda led the company from 1929 to 1949. His successor, Hiroshi Yamauchi, guided Nintendo to produce toys like the Ultra Hand and video games, including arcade games, the Color TV-Game series of home consoles (1977–83), and the Game & Watch series of handheld games (1980–86).
Shigeru Miyamoto created Donkey Kong (1981) for arcades, which became Nintendo’s first international success and introduced Mario, the company’s mascot. After the American video game crash of 1983, Nintendo released its Japanese Famicom home console (1983) as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985. Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka developed influential games for the Famicom/NES, including Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. The Game Boy handheld console (1989) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990) were successful, but Nintendo faced strong competition from Sega’s consoles. The Virtual Boy (1995), a portable console with stereoscopic 3D graphics, did not do well in sales or reviews. With the Nintendo 64 (1996), Nintendo began creating games with fully 3D computer graphics. The Pokémon media franchise, partly owned by Nintendo, became a global success starting in 1996.
The Game Boy Advance (2001) was another popular product. The GameCube home console (2001) was liked by Nintendo fans but sold fewer units than competing consoles from Sony and Microsoft. In 2002, Satoru Iwata became president and oversaw the development of the Nintendo DS handheld (2004), which included a touchscreen, and the Wii home console (2006), which used a motion controller; both were highly successful. Wii Sports remains Nintendo’s best-selling game. The Nintendo 3DS handheld (2011) reintroduced stereoscopic 3D technology. The Wii U home console (2012) sold poorly, raising concerns about Nintendo’s future as a console manufacturer and leading the company to expand into mobile gaming. Before retiring in 2015, Iwata helped develop the Nintendo Switch (2017), a hybrid console that works as both a home and handheld system. Tatsumi Kimishima took over after Iwata, followed by Shuntaro Furukawa in 2018. The Nintendo Switch 2 was released in 2025.
1889–1949:Hanafudacards
Nintendo was established as Yamauchi Nintendo (山内任天堂) by Fusajiro Yamauchi on September 23, 1889. It was first called Nintendo Koppai. Based in Kyoto, Japan, the company made and sold hanafuda, a type of traditional Japanese playing card. The name "Nintendo" is often thought to mean "leave luck to heaven," but there is no historical proof to support this. Hanafuda cards were a popular alternative to Western-style playing cards, which were not allowed in Japan at that time. Nintendo's cards became widely used, so Yamauchi hired helpers to produce them in larger amounts.
Fusajiro Yamauchi did not have a son to inherit his business. Following a Japanese tradition called mukoyōshi, he adopted his son-in-law, Sekiryo Kaneda, who then legally took Yamauchi as his last name. In 1929, Fusajiro Yamauchi retired, and Kaneda became president. In 1933, Kaneda formed a partnership with another company and renamed it Yamauchi Nintendo & Co.
During World War II, in 1945, Nintendo's headquarters were nearly destroyed when the United States military planned to use a new nuclear bomb on a Japanese city. Kyoto was the top city considered for the attack, but U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson removed it from the list because he admired the city.
In 1947, Kaneda created a distribution company called Marufuku Co., Ltd. to sell hanafuda and other card types made by Nintendo. Kaneda had only daughters, so he adopted his son-in-law, Shikanojo Inaba, who later changed his name to Shikanojo Yamauchi. However, Yamauchi left his family and did not become company president. Instead, his son, Hiroshi Yamauchi, was raised by his grandparents and later took over the company.
1949–1966: Disney partnership and public listing
In 1949, Hiroshi Yamauchi studied at Waseda University in Tokyo. However, after his grandfather had a serious illness, Yamauchi left school to become the president of Nintendo. In 1950, he changed the name of the company from Marufuku Co. Ltd. to "Nintendo Kuruta." In 1953, Nintendo became the first company in Japan to make playing cards from plastic.
In 1956, Yamauchi traveled to the United States to meet with the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), the largest maker of playing cards in the country, located in Cincinnati. He was surprised to see that this major company used only a small office. This experience made Yamauchi realize the limits of the playing card business.
In 1958, Nintendo made an agreement with Disney to use Disney characters on its playing cards. At the time, Western playing cards were often compared to traditional Japanese games like hanafuda and mahjong, which were sometimes used for gambling. By linking playing cards to Disney and selling books that explained games, Nintendo was able to sell the cards to Japanese families. This strategy was successful, and the company sold at least 600,000 card packs in one year. Because of this success, in 1962, Yamauchi took Nintendo public, listing the company on the Osaka Stock Exchange Second division.
In 1963, the company’s name was shortened from "Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd." to "Nintendo." After this change, Nintendo began exploring other business areas with the new money. This included starting a food company with two other businesses, offering products like instant rice (similar to instant noodles) and a vacuum cleaner called Chiritory. These efforts did not succeed. However, toy-making worked well because of the company’s earlier experience with playing cards. In 1964, during the economic boom caused by the Tokyo Olympics, the playing card market became too crowded. Japanese families stopped buying playing cards, and Nintendo’s stock price dropped from 900 yen to 60 yen.
In 1965, Nintendo hired Gunpei Yokoi as a Maintenance Engineer for the assembly line. However, Yokoi soon became well-known for reasons beyond his work repairing conveyor belts.
1966–1972: Toy company and new ventures
During the 1960s, Nintendo had a hard time staying in business because the Japanese toy market was small and already controlled by big companies like Bandai and Tomy. Since toys often became unpopular quickly, Nintendo decided to create new products more frequently, which started a major change for the company.
In 1966, Yamauchi visited one of Nintendo’s hanafuda factories and saw a toy with an arm-shaped design made by a maintenance engineer named Gunpei Yokoi for his own use. Yamauchi asked Yokoi to develop it as a product for the Christmas season. The toy, called the Ultra Hand, became one of Nintendo’s most successful toys, selling hundreds of thousands of units. Because Yokoi showed talent, Yamauchi moved him from his job on the assembly line to work on product development.
Yokoi’s background in electrical engineering helped him create electronic toys that were more interesting and unique than traditional toys. These toys allowed Nintendo to sell them for higher prices. Yokoi later made other toys, such as the Ten Billion Barrel puzzle, a baseball throwing machine called the Ultra Machine, and a Love Tester.
In 1970, Nintendo released the first solar-powered light gun, the Nintendo Beam Gun. This was the first light gun for home use that was sold to the public, created with help from Sharp.
In 1972, Nintendo introduced the Ele-Conga, one of the first drum machines that could be programmed. It played rhythms stored on disc-shaped punch cards, which users could change or program to create different patterns.
1972–1983: Arcade, Color TV-Game, and Game & Watch
In 1972, the first video game console sold to the public, the Magnavox Odyssey, was released. It included a light gun accessory called the Shooting Gallery. This marked Nintendo's first involvement in video games. According to Martin Picard in the International Journal of Computer Game Research, "in 1971, Nintendo formed a partnership with Magnavox before the first home console was sold in the United States. This partnership aimed to create and produce special guns that used light and electricity for the Odyssey, as they were similar to the toys Nintendo offered in Japan during the 1970s."
In 1973, Nintendo shifted its focus to family-friendly arcade games. It introduced the Laser Clay Shooting System, which used the same light gun technology as Nintendo's Kousenjuu series of toys. These machines were placed in old bowling alleys. Nintendo achieved some success with this system and created more light gun machines for arcades. However, the Laser Clay Shooting System had to be closed due to high costs. Despite this, Nintendo helped create a new market for arcade games.
In 1977, Nintendo released the Color TV-Game 6 and Color TV-Game 15. These consoles were developed together with Mitsubishi Electric. The numbers in the names show how many games each console included. These were the first products in the Color TV-Game line.
During the early 1980s, Nintendo created some of its most famous arcade games. The very popular Donkey Kong was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and released in arcades in 1981. Later, versions of Donkey Kong were made for home systems, including the Atari 2600, Intellivision, and ColecoVision. Other games, such as Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros., were also made available for home consoles by other companies. Nintendo began focusing more on home game systems and stopped making arcade games in Japan by late 1985.
The release of Donkey Kong led Universal Studios, Inc. to sue Nintendo for using the character King Kong, which was legally available for use. The court ruled in favor of Nintendo in the case Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. As a thank you, Nintendo gave its lawyer, John Kirby, a $30,000 boat named the Donkey Kong. They also gave Kirby the right to use the name "Donkey Kong" for sailboats. Nintendo later named a character in its games "Kirby" to honor him.
In addition to arcade games, Nintendo tested the market for handheld video games with the Game & Watch. This line of handheld games was made by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. Created by Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch had a single game played on an LCD screen and included a clock or alarm. This was the first Nintendo product to achieve major success, with 43.4 million units sold worldwide.
1983–1989: Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System
In 1983, Nintendo released its first cartridge-based game console, the Family Computer or "Famicom," in Japan. Over 500,000 units were sold within two months. After a few months of strong sales, Nintendo received complaints that some Famicom consoles would freeze during certain games. The problem was traced to a faulty chip, and Nintendo decided to recall all Famicom units still in stores.
In 1983, Nintendo was negotiating with Atari, a major gaming company, to sell the Famicom in the United States. However, just before the deal was completed, Atari withdrew from the agreement after its executives saw a demonstration of Donkey Kong on the Coleco Adam computer at the 1983 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). They had not known about this version of the game beforehand. Later that year, Atari tried to restart talks, but Nintendo believed the partnership would fail because the U.S. gaming market was struggling. From 1983 to 1985, the gaming industry in North America faced a major recession, which hurt four major console makers: Atari (Atari 2600), Coleco (ColecoVision), Magnavox (Odyssey 2), and Mattel Electronics (Intellivision).
Nintendo decided to release the Famicom in North America without Atari’s help. It was renamed the "Nintendo Advanced Video System" (AVS) and briefly marketed as a high-end home computer for gaming. Like other computers of the time, it could connect to QWERTY and musical keyboards and store data in a tape drive. The company first showed it to the public at the 1985 CES, but the reception was weak because many people had negative feelings about gaming after the 1983 crash. Nintendo redesigned the AVS to be a home game console, emphasizing that it was different from other American consoles.
It was renamed the "Nintendo Entertainment System" (NES). The name "entertainment system" was chosen to avoid sounding like a traditional console. Nintendo called its games "game paks" instead of cartridges and referred to the console as a "control deck." The NES had a gray, boxy design with a "futuristic aesthetic" to look like devices such as VCRs and stereo systems. The company also created R.O.B., a robot-shaped peripheral, to highlight that the console had features beyond just games.
Nintendo recognized that the 1983 crash was partly caused by many low-quality games from third-party developers. To prevent this, NES cartridges included the patented "10NES" lockout chip. This chip connected to a matching chip inside the console, and the console would only play a game if it detected the 10NES. Only Nintendo and officially licensed third-party developers could use the chip, which also blocked pirated games. Later, an Atari subsidiary named Tengen reverse-engineered the chip to create unlicensed games, but Nintendo won a lawsuit against them for patent infringement.
Nintendo allowed third-party developers to make NES games only if they released five titles per year that avoided excessive violence or controversial topics like religion. Games approved by Nintendo were labeled with a "Nintendo Seal of Quality" on their packaging. Nintendo advertised the seal to encourage consumers to trust it as a sign of a game’s quality and entertainment value. The seal is still used today.
Nintendo test-marketed the NES in New York City in late 1985. The first unit sold at the launch event was bought by an employee of a competing company, who also purchased all 15 of the NES’s launch titles. The console launched nationwide the following year.
As the NES became popular in America, many people began calling it "a Nintendo" and referring to other consoles as "Nintendos." This worried Nintendo, as it feared competitors might use the name legally under the Lanham Act, similar to how other soda brands are sometimes called "Cokes." In 1990, Nintendo posted posters in stores nationwide stating: "There is no such thing as a Nintendo. There's the Nintendo Entertainment System. There's Nintendo game software. […] But there's no such thing as a Nintendo. 'Nintendo' is an adjective, not a noun."
One of the first games for the NES was Super Mario Bros., directed by Shigeru Miyamoto and assistant directed by Takashi Tezuka. It started the Super Mario series and was one of the first side-scrolling platformers ever made. Historian Steven L. Kent notes that the game introduced key elements like power-ups, collectible coins, enemies Mario could stomp on, and characters Bowser and Princess Peach. Composer Koji Kondo created the game’s iconic music using a program that converted BASIC programming language into Famicom game music. His goal was to make background music that was engaging and not tiring to listen to.
Digital Spy’s Mark Langshaw wrote that Super Mario Bros. was "one of the best platformers ever made." It sold 40 million copies and became one of the most successful games ever. Nintendo has released it on nearly every console. In 1986, Nintendo of America began bundling the NES version with the system. Many writers credit Super Mario Bros. with saving the North American gaming industry after the 1983 crash.
A sequel, Super Mario Bros. 2 (1986), was released for the Famicom but not the NES, as Nintendo believed Western players might find it too difficult or too different from the first game. The version released in the West in 1988 was a rebranded version of a Famicom game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987). This version was successful and later ported back to the Famicom as Super Mario Bros. USA. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) was released for both systems and introduced many new mechanics. It is often called one of the best games ever made. Gameplay footage was shown in the 1989 film The Wizard.
Miyamoto, Tezuka, and Kondo also worked on The Legend of Zelda (1986) for the Famicom and NES. The game’s idea of exploring the fantasy world of Hyrule was inspired by Miyamoto’s childhood experiences in the countryside near Kyoto. Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek wrote that Miyamoto wanted to recreate the sense of wonder he felt exploring forests and caves as a child.
1989–1996: Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Virtual Boy
In 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy and the game Tetris. Because of its price, the game's popularity, and its durability (unlike earlier systems like the Microvision from Milton Bradley Company, which had issues with screen damage), the Game Boy sold 118 million units. Super Mario Land was released with the system, and 14 million copies were sold worldwide. Also in 1989, Nintendo announced a new version of the Famicom called the Super Famicom.
The Super Famicom was released in Japan in 1990. It sold out quickly, with 1.6 million units sold by mid-1991. In 1991, the Super Famicom was released in the United States as the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System" (SNES) and later in Europe in 1992. Like the NES, the SNES had advanced technology for its time. The SNES controller was more comfortable to hold than the NES controller, with rounded edges and four additional buttons. This design is still used in many modern controllers.
In 1991, Nintendo reached an agreement to resolve accusations that it had unfairly controlled prices for the NES. Nintendo had been accused of threatening to stop sending NES systems to stores that sold them at lower prices. The agreement cost Nintendo about $30 million.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Nintendo allowed its game characters to appear in five American TV shows made by DiC Entertainment: Captain N: The Game Master, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. In 1993, the first movie based on a video game, Super Mario Bros., was released. It was a live-action film that did not do well financially or critically, leading Nintendo to avoid making movies based on its games for many years.
Around 1990, Nintendo controlled about 80% of the global video game market, with the remaining 20% shared by three other companies. Historian Frank Cifaldi noted that one of these competitors, Sega, was a small but determined company in Japan. Sega released its home console, the Sega Mega Drive, in Japan in 1988. It was called the "Sega Genesis" in the United States. At first, the Mega Drive had limited success in Japan, but in the U.S., it struggled to compete with Nintendo's NES despite media attention. In 1990, Sega hired Tom Kalinske, a former Mattel marketer, to lead Sega of America.
Kalinske and his team launched an unusual marketing campaign to make Sega more appealing to teenagers, rather than focusing on younger children. They promoted Sega as a bold and rebellious competitor, even criticizing Nintendo in advertisements. Their ads used fast-paced music and direct comparisons to Nintendo's systems, with slogans like "Genesis does what Nintendon't." Sega also set up demonstrations in malls to show how its games compared to Nintendo's. They claimed the Genesis had a special feature called "blast processing" that made it more powerful than the SNES. Nintendo responded by publishing an ad to clarify that while "blast processing" was real, it did not make the Genesis significantly better than the SNES. Sega also worked with game developers to create exclusive games for the Genesis, which led Nintendo to loosen some of its strict rules for game developers.
Eventually, the Genesis became the most popular console in the U.S., and Nintendo's market share dropped to about 45%. However, the SNES sold 49.1 million units worldwide, compared to the Genesis' estimated 40 million. By 1993, Nintendo had become one of the top ten largest companies in the world.
In the 1990s, as video games began showing more graphic violence or adult themes, U.S. lawmakers worried about their impact on children. Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, donated $3 million to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1990 to help create games with more thoughtful content. After the release of Mortal Kombat, some lawmakers called for banning violent games, leading to Senate hearings on video games in 1993–1994. Nintendo and Sega helped create the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), a group that assigns age and content ratings to games. Games like Mortal Kombat received an "M" (Mature) rating, meaning they should only be sold to people 18 or older. Nintendo later relaxed some of its rules about game content.
In 1987, Nintendo partnered with Sony to develop the SNES's sound system, led by Sony engineer Ken Kutaragi. In 1988, the companies worked together to create a CD-ROM drive for the SNES, allowing larger and more detailed games. In 1990, Nintendo and Sony announced their collaboration, and in 1991, the device was named the "Nintendo PlayStation."
Before the SNES was completed, Nintendo reviewed its agreement with Sony and found that Sony would earn too much money from CD-based games. Nintendo tried to renegotiate but failed. After Sony announced its partnership with Nintendo at a technology show, Nintendo canceled the deal and instead partnered with Philips, a Dutch company, to develop CD-based games. Philips created four games using Nintendo characters, but they were poorly received. Sony continued working on the Nintendo PlayStation, eventually launching it as the "PlayStation" in 1994. The PlayStation attracted developers who were frustrated with Nintendo's strict rules and allowed games with 3D graphics.
In 1995, Nintendo faced new competition when Sega released the 32-bit Saturn and Sony launched the 32-bit PlayStation. Sony's marketing efforts helped it gain market share from Nintendo and Sega.
In 1992, at the request of Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo purchased most of the shares in the Seattle Mariners, a Major League Baseball team in Washington. The team had been for sale in 1991 due to financial problems.
1996–2001: Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color
Game Freak began in Japan in 1982 as a magazine about video games. In 1989, one of its founders, Satoshi Tajiri, changed the magazine into a game development company. He created games for Nintendo and Sega consoles, including Yoshi, Mario & Wario, and Pulseman. Around 1990, Tajiri had an idea for a game called Pocket Monsters, which was about collecting and training animals to fight. The idea came from his childhood memories of exploring forests and catching insects and tadpoles. Tajiri shared the idea with Nintendo, who agreed to support the project. Tajiri led the development of Pocket Monsters for the Game Boy, with help from Miyamoto. It took six years to create the game. In 1996, the game was released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, which had small differences but the same gameplay. In the West, the game was renamed Pokémon, with the versions called Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version.
Pokémon Red and Blue sold millions of copies worldwide. They started a series of Pokémon games, which became part of a large media franchise. The games were adapted into an anime TV show, which began in Japan in 1997 and later aired in other countries. In 1998, the Pokémon Center, a chain of stores selling Pokémon-themed items, opened in Tokyo. A movie based on the anime, Pokémon: The First Movie, was also released in Japan. In 1999, the Pokémon Trading Card Game was launched. In 2000, the company managing the Pokémon retail stores in Japan changed its name to The Pokémon Company. In 2001, a branch of The Pokémon Company was created in the United States, later becoming The Pokémon Company International to manage the franchise globally.
Pokémon became a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Its popularity in the 1990s was so strong that some writers called it "Pokémania." Time magazine described the trend as a powerful mix of games, cards, toys, and other media that connected together. Some adults, especially parents, were worried about the game's influence on children, but this was less common in Japan. The Pokémon Trading Card Game caused many schools in the United States and other countries to ban the cards. Some people claimed Pokémon was connected to Satan, but the Catholic Church said it had no harmful effects.
Neither Game Freak nor The Pokémon Company are owned by Nintendo, but Nintendo still earns money from the Pokémon franchise. The franchise is jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc., the company that makes the video games. Game Freak could develop Pokémon games for other companies' consoles, but they choose not to, as a sign of friendship with Nintendo.
In 1996, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 in Japan and North America. The console had a successful launch. However, many third-party companies quickly developed games for Nintendo's competitors, partly because making games for other systems was cheaper. One of the first games for the Nintendo 64 was Super Mario 64, a platformer developed by Nintendo EAD. It was one of the first 3D platformers. The game took a long time to develop because Miyamoto wanted to perfect how Mario moves in 3D space before designing levels. Before Super Mario 64, 3D platformers did not include realistic movement rules, making them harder to play. Super Mario 64 set the standard for 3D platforming and became the best-selling game for the Nintendo 64.
In 1998, Nintendo released the Game Boy Pocket, a smaller version of the original Game Boy designed by Gunpei Yokoi. A week after its release, Yokoi left Nintendo. He later helped create the WonderSwan, a competing handheld console. In 1997, Yokoi died in a car accident at age 56. He was seriously injured in the crash and passed away two hours later.
In 1997, the European Economic Community required Nintendo to change its rules for third-party game developers. Nintendo could no longer limit the number of games a company could release, require prior approval for games, or force third-party games to be made only by Nintendo.
In 1998, Nintendo sued the owner of the website "zelda.com" because it showed inappropriate images. In 1999, illusionist Uri Geller sued Nintendo for £60 million, claiming his likeness was used in Pokémon Alakazam. The lawsuit was dropped in 2003, and Geller later apologized.
In 2000, Nintendo paid $80 million to the New York Attorney General to settle a case about injuries children suffered while playing Mario Party. The company also gave out special gloves to help prevent future injuries. That same year, Nintendo helped shut down Apollo Ltd., a company that made pirated copies of Nintendo games in Hong Kong.
In 1998, Nintendo partnered with Jeff Spangenburg to create Retro Studios, a game development company in Texas. Retro Studios grew to have about 150 employees within a few years.
In 1998, the Game Boy Color was released in Japan, followed by versions in North America and Europe a month later. The Game Boy Color could display colored images, unlike the original Game Boy, which only had black-and-white graphics. It could play new games designed for the system and also work with older Game Boy games.
2001–2004: Game Boy Advance and GameCube
Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance (GBA) portable console worldwide in 2001. The system had a larger screen than earlier Game Boy models, and its screen could show more colors than the Game Boy Color. The GBA could play games from older Game Boy and Game Boy Color systems. Like an unreleased device for the Dolphin, the GBA could connect to the GameCube using a "Link Cable" and act as a second screen for some GameCube games. In North America, the GBA sold 500,000 units in about a month, making it Nintendo's fastest-selling system at the time.
In the early 2000s, Sega stopped making consoles after their Dreamcast failed financially. Sega then focused only on making and publishing games, releasing them on Nintendo systems. Sony became Nintendo's main competitor, but both faced competition from Microsoft, which launched the Xbox in 2001.
The Dolphin was officially announced as Nintendo's next home console at E3 1999. At Nintendo's "SpaceWorld 2000" event, the console was renamed the "GameCube." The GameCube had a more comfortable controller and included a handle for carrying it. Its games used disks, which gave the console more power than the Nintendo 64. However, the disks used a smaller format to avoid copying and fees for DVD technology, limiting each disk to 1.6 gigabytes of data.
While developing the GameCube, Nintendo created a device with an LCD screen that could act as a second display for games and show 3D images. Developers tested this device with the game Luigi's Mansion, but producing it in large numbers was too costly for Nintendo.
The GameCube launched in Japan and North America in 2001 and in Europe in 2002. It had a strong start, but sales later dropped. This was partly because the system had few games early on. The GameCube also lacked a built-in DVD player, unlike the PS2. A special version of the GameCube with a DVD player was only sold in Japan.
In 2000, Satoru Iwata left his job at HAL Laboratory to lead Nintendo's planning division. In 2002, Yamauchi offered Iwata the role of Nintendo's president, which Iwata accepted. Iwata was the first president not from the Yamauchi family. Yamauchi remained on Nintendo's board until 2005 and was its largest individual shareholder until his death in 2013. Forbes estimated his net worth at $2.1 billion in 2013, making him the 13th richest person in Japan.
In 2002, Minoru Arakawa stepped down as president of Nintendo of America, and Tatsumi Kimishima took over. In 2003, Reggie Fils-Aimé joined Nintendo as executive vice president for sales and marketing in the Americas. Before this, he worked in marketing for companies like Pizza Hut and Procter & Gamble.
Despite improvements over the Nintendo 64, few outside companies made games for the GameCube. Nintendo delayed sending tools to developers before the system launched. Gavin Lane from Nintendo Life wrote that Nintendo focused on younger players, which hurt the GameCube's sales. The cartoon style of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and the GameCube's handle made it seem like a toy for children.
The GameCube's main strengths were its exclusive games, such as Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Mario Sunshine. Metroid Prime, developed by Retro Studios, helped save the studio after previous projects failed. Nintendo gave Retro the Metroid series to work on, and *Prime
2004–2011: Nintendo DS and Wii
At E3 2004, Satoru Iwata introduced the successor to the GameCube, which was given the code name "Revolution" and later named the "Wii." Development of the Revolution began shortly after the GameCube launched. The console was designed to be small, quiet, and affordable, with a focus on gameplay rather than powerful graphics. Iwata stated that gameplay would drive a "gaming revolution" rather than advanced visuals.
At E3 2004, Nintendo also unveiled the Nintendo DS, a handheld system that displayed games on two screens, one above the other. The screens could be folded closed when not in use. The DS used Wi-Fi to connect wirelessly with up to 15 nearby devices, supported a new system for creating 3D images, and allowed users to play multiplayer games without owning the game, if another device nearby had the game. The DS launched in the U.S. and Japan in 2004 and in Europe and Australia in 2005. A messaging app called PictoChat, which allowed users to send text and drawings between DS systems, was included on every device. Nintendo aimed to attract teenagers and young adults, avoiding the perception that the device was only for younger audiences. In the U.S., the DS was advertised with TV commercials that used adult themes. Pre-orders for the DS exceeded expectations, with two million systems ordered, but Nintendo only had one million ready for launch. To meet demand, two factories in China were used, and a third was added. Soon after, Sony released the PlayStation Portable (PSP), starting competition in handheld gaming.
In 2005, Nintendo opened its first public retail store, the Nintendo World Store, at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. The store had two floors and featured kiosks with GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS games. It also displayed items from Nintendo's history, including hanafuda cards.
At E3 2005, Nintendo showed the Revolution's design but not its motion-sensing controller. The console was planned to launch in 2006, after the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) released in 2005. The Revolution would support online gaming through Wi-Fi and could play GameCube games. Iwata said the system would prioritize big ideas over high costs. Later, a writer noted this likely referred to the system's motion-controlled games. Nintendo aimed to create games for both its traditional audience and casual gamers. They also introduced the Game Boy Micro, a smaller version of the Game Boy Advance with a brighter screen and a detachable faceplate. It was released later that year.
In 2005, Nintendo revealed the design for the Revolution's controller, later named the Wii Remote. It resembled a TV remote and could be used with an attachable joystick, later called the Wii Nunchuck. The controller could be held vertically or horizontally. Nintendo said it was designed for both traditional and casual gamers and used an internal gyroscope for motion control. A writer noted this marked Nintendo's shift away from competing directly with Sony and Microsoft, whose consoles focused on hard-core gamers.
In 2006, Nintendo announced the Nintendo DS Lite, a smaller and lighter version of the DS with a brighter screen. The screen brightness could be adjusted to four levels. It was released worldwide that year.
Nintendo also announced the Revolution would be named the "Wii," a choice intended to appeal to casual gamers. The name was controversial among some fans. Nintendo revealed games for the Wii that used motion controls, including Excite Truck, Wii Sports, and Super Mario Galaxy. A writer noted these games demonstrated unique motion control features that helped ease concerns about the system.
Later in 2006, Reggie Fils-Aimé became president and CEO of Nintendo of America, while Tatsumi Kimishima was promoted to chairman of the board and CEO. Nintendo also established a South Korean subsidiary, Nintendo Korea, in Seoul, replacing Daewon Media as the official distributor in the country.
In 2006, Nintendo and Microsoft were sued by Anascape Ltd. for allegedly using patented analog technology in their controllers. Microsoft settled the case, but Nintendo went to trial, initially losing and being ordered to pay $21 million in damages. Nintendo appealed, and in 2010, the ruling was overturned. Anascape’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied.
In 2006, Nintendo announced details for the Wii console, including its "Wii Menu" graphical user interface. The console launched globally that year and sold quickly, helping Nintendo regain momentum after the GameCube. Its success was linked to its appeal to a broader audience. In response, Sony and Microsoft later released add-ons for the PS3 and Xbox 360 targeting similar demographics.
In 2007, Nintendo named Rose Lappin as the new managing director of Nintendo Australia, making her the first woman to lead one of Nintendo’s subsidiaries.
In 2008, Nintendo released an updated version of the DS Lite in Japan, called the Nintendo DSi. It included a camera inside and outside the system and supported downloadable games. The DSi was released worldwide in 2009.
2011–2017: Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
At E3 2010, Iwata introduced the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. It kept the two-screen design of the DS but added a feature to show 3D visuals without special glasses. A slider on the device lets players adjust how deep the 3D effect appears. If the slider is fully turned off, the system shows regular 2D images. The 3DS can also play 3D videos, such as movies that were available on Netflix before its 3DS service ended. The console includes gyro and motion sensors, as well as three cameras, two of which can take 3D photos.
The 3DS introduced StreetPass, a feature that allows two nearby 3DS systems to share data when both are connected to Wi-Fi and in sleep mode (when the screens are closed). Some games used this to let players play multiplayer games without actively participating. Between 2011 and 2013, Nintendo operated Swapnote, an online service for sending drawings and pictures to other 3DS users. The service was shut down after an incident in Japan where two men used it to share child pornography.
The 3DS launched worldwide in 2011. Critics praised its 3D effect for being immersive and comfortable but criticized its screen quality, battery life, and high U.S. price of $249.99. Sales started slowly, with a "reasonably strong launch" in the U.S. but weak sales in the second quarter due to the price. Nintendo lowered the U.S. price to $169.99, which helped sales improve. The Japanese price was also reduced.
In 2011, Nintendo announced a successor to the Wii, called "Project Cafe." At E3 2011, it was revealed as the "Wii U." The console had a traditional box with a processor connected to a TV but included a unique feature: the Wii U GamePad, a touchscreen controller with a microphone, gyroscope, and camera. The GamePad could show a rifle scope view in games or magnify parts of a TV screen based on where the controller was pointed. Nintendo said the Wii U would support high-definition video, work with Wii games, and include video conferencing.
In the early 2010s, Nintendo’s profits dropped to their lowest levels since the company began making games. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, Nintendo reported $530 million in losses on $8 billion in revenue, its first annual loss since 1981. Weak sales of the 3DS and declining Wii sales hurt the company further. Some analysts said developing games for mobile devices like the iPhone could help Nintendo, but Iwata said mobile gaming did not fit Nintendo’s identity. Industry leaders called this decision a missed opportunity, allowing other companies to dominate mobile gaming.
The Wii U had strong demand at its 2012 U.S. launch, with many units selling out on Black Friday. Sales slowed by 2013, with 600,000 units sold in Japan and 400,000 in the U.S. This was 200,000 units less than the Wii sold in the same period. Iwata admitted that by the end of the 2012 holiday season, stores had more Wii U units in stock than they did when the Wii launched. While he said sales were steady, Nintendo lowered its sales goals for the Wii U and 3DS. Sales continued to decline, and Nintendo reported another annual loss in 2013.
Analysts later said poor marketing hurt the Wii U. The E3 2011 presentation was criticized for not clearly explaining the console’s features, leading many to think the Wii U was a tablet for the Wii rather than its successor. Iwata later said Nintendo did not do enough to help consumers understand the product. By 2017, when manufacturing ended, the Wii U sold about 13 million units. The 3DS, however, sold 75 million units by 2020.
In 2011, Nintendo started "Nintendo Direct" presentations: online videos that shared news about upcoming games and hardware. These are still used as of 2026. Microsoft and Sony later created similar video series for Xbox and PlayStation updates.
In 2013, Nintendo began claiming copyright on "Let’s Play" videos of its games on YouTube. This allowed Nintendo to earn advertising revenue from gameplay videos, which had previously gone to the video uploaders. Many in the gaming community disagreed, saying gameplay videos were created by the people who recorded them. Nintendo later removed its claims.
In 2014, Satoru Iwata was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. The cancer was found early, and he had successful surgery to remove it. He later said the cancer was difficult to treat but was detected early and that he recovered well. A year later, the cancer returned. Iwata did not attend E3 2015, and Nintendo said he would focus on other parts of the business in Japan. He spoke at Nintendo’s annual shareholder meeting but died from the cancer at age 55.
Matt Peckham of Time wrote that Iwata was a rare leader with creative experience who led Nintendo’s most innovative period, including the success of the Wii.
2017–2025: Nintendo Switch
In 2012, Nintendo began planning a new video game system. At a 2015 press conference, the company announced they were developing a dedicated system, called "NX." In 2021, Fils-Aimé said the NX was very important for Nintendo, as the Wii U had a shorter lifespan than usual. In 2016, Nintendo shared that the NX would launch in 2017. The system was officially named the "Nintendo Switch" in 2016. It is a hybrid console that can be used both as a portable device and a home console.
The Nintendo Switch was released in 2017. It launched with 15 games, five of which were only available on the Japanese eShop. Three games were developed by Nintendo and released worldwide: 1-2-Switch, Snipperclips, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The last game was also released on the Wii U and was highly praised by critics. It was later named the best video game of all time by several outlets.
In 2018, Shuntaro Furukawa became Nintendo's president, replacing Kimishima. In 2019, Doug Bowser took over as President and COO of Nintendo of America, replacing Fils-Aimé.
In 2020, ValueAct Capital, a company based in San Francisco, bought $1.1 billion worth of Nintendo stock, which is 2% of the company. In 2022, Nintendo announced it had acquired SRD Co., Ltd., a company that had worked with Nintendo for over 40 years as a support studio.
In 2022, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia purchased a 5% stake in Nintendo. In 2025, Niantic, Inc., the company behind Pokémon Go, sold the game's rights to Scopely, which is owned by the Public Investment Fund.
In 2020, Plan See Do announced plans to turn the former headquarters of Marufuku Nintendo into a hotel, expected to open the next year. In 2021, Nintendo said the Uji Ogura plant, where its playing cards were made, would become a museum called the "Nintendo Gallery." In 2023, Universal Studios Hollywood opened Super Nintendo World, a theme park based on the Mario franchise. In 2025, another Super Nintendo World park opened in Universal Orlando, Florida.
After the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie failed, Nintendo avoided making films based on its games. This changed in 2014, when leaked emails showed Sony Pictures and Nintendo were discussing an animated Mario movie. In 2018, Nintendo announced an animated Mario film from Illumination, titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023. The film received mixed reviews but was a commercial success, earning over $1.36 billion worldwide. A sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, was released in 2026. In 2021, Furukawa said Nintendo would explore animated adaptations of other properties. In 2022, the company acquired Japanese animation studio Dynamo Pictures and renamed it Nintendo Pictures. Upcoming projects include a live-action adaptation of the Legend of Zelda franchise.
2025–present: Nintendo Switch 2
In 2021, Shuntaro Furukawa said the Nintendo Switch was "in the middle of its life cycle." Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025 and released it later that year. The Switch 2 kept the hybrid design of the original Switch. It had a price of $449 USD, which was the highest price ever for a new Nintendo console in the United States. The launch game Mario Kart World cost $79.99 USD, which was more expensive than the usual $59.99 price for Nintendo's high-budget games. At the same time, Nintendo increased the prices of the original Switch and other hardware. They also said future high-budget games would cost $69.99 USD. Analysts believed this was because of economic challenges in the United States caused by tariffs on goods under President Donald Trump. Despite these changes, the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World were very popular. The Switch 2 became Nintendo's best-selling console within four months of its release. Some outlets noted that Nintendo's very loyal fans might be willing to pay more for its products than the average gaming company.
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