Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a multinational video game and electronics company based in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1889 by Fusajuro Yamauchi, under the name Nintendo Koppai, the company originally produced playing cards through the early twentieth century until expanding its production to include classic tabletop games including chess and mahjong in 1969. In 1970, Nintendo began its shift to electronics including Japan’s first electronic toy, the Beam Gun, eventually leading to the creation of their first video game console, The Color TV-Game in 1977, with design input from then new hire Shigeru Miyatamo.

In 1979, the company expanded its operations to New York City prior to the release of its first dedicated handheld device, the Game & Watch in 1980, as well as 1981’s Donkey Kong, an arcade cabinet game that would introduce players to both Mario and Donkey Kong, original characters developed by the brand that would go on to become universally recognizable as Nintendo mascots, starring in dozens of games.

It was in 1983 with the release of the Famicom (or Family Computer) and its North American iteration, the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 that the company would become a mainstay in video games and popular culture, thriving in an industry previously deemed fiscally inviable following the video game market crash of 1983. Selling over 61.9 million units to date, the Nintendo Entertainment System would be considered one of the industry’s biggest leaps forward in the North American market and featured classic first party games such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid, produced in house by developers in the Nintendo Research & Development No.1 and No. 2. teams.

Following the success of the NES, Nintendo would go onto release new home gaming consoles and handheld devices including the Game Boy (1989), Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990/1991), Virtual Boy (1995), Nintendo 64 (1996), Game Boy Advance (2001), GameCube (2001), Nintendo DS (2004), Wii (2006), 3DS (2010), Wii U (2012), and Nintendo Switch (2017).

After ceding significant market share and brand favorability to its home game console rivals Sony and Microsoft following the poor sales of the Wii U, Nintendo released the hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch, in 2017 which functioned as both a handheld device akin to the Game Boy or DS line, while also acting a fully featured home console to play on televisions. With over 139 million units shipped as of December 31, 2023, it stands as the third-highest selling console of all time behind Sony’s PlayStation 2 (155 million units sold) and Nintendo’s own Nintendo DS (154 million). 

With major hits including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the Nintendo Switch lineup has received critical acclaim and mainstream success among gamers, especially among younger players. The console’s successor, known only as the Switch 2, is rumored to be releasing in 2025 but no confirmation has been made by Nintendo.

Beginning in 2016, Nintendo made their first major leap beyond their own proprietary platforms in an effort to garner the lucrative mobile gaming market. Releasing their first mobile app, Miitomo, in March 2016, they followed with apps including Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Fire Emblem Heroes, Mario Kart Tour and Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go, in particular, would be a smash hit for the company, developed by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, going onto gross billions in revenue since launch.

Nintendo would continue exploring new expansions for its IP, first through a partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to construct Nintendo-themed park expansions in 2015. On March 18, 2021, Super Nintendo World opened as an area of Universal Studios Japan, with a second location opening on February 17, 2023 in the North American market at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Nintendo’s latest multimedia expansion came in the form of the blockbuster animated film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Co-produced by Nintendo, Universal Pictures, and Illumination, it was released on April 5, 2023 and went on to gross $1.36 billion, making it the highest grossing video game adaptation of all time and one of the biggest box office hits of 2023. A sequel is currently set for April 3, 2026, as well as an accompanying live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, with no release date currently announced.