Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is
a leading maker of video games and consoles. To date, Nintendo
has sold more than one billion video games worldwide and about
400 million game consoles. It has created industry icons like
Mario and Donkey Kong and launched franchises like The Legend
of Zelda and Pokémon. Nintendo manufactures and markets
hardware and software for its popular home video game systems,
including Playstation, GameCube and the Game Boy series - the
world's best-selling video game system.
Nintendo introduced the Wii game console
in 2006, which has become a hot seller and features the Wii Remote,
a wireless game controller that can detect motion.
As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo
of America Inc., based in Redmond, WA, serves as headquarters
for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more
than 40 percent of American households own a Nintendo game system.
Nintendo is also a majority owner of the
Seattle Mariners baseball team and a minority owner in the Atlanta
Hawks basketball team.
History
1889 -
Fusajiro Yamauchi began manufacturing "Hanafuda," Japanese
playing cards in Kyoto. 1902 - Mr. Yamauchi started manufacturing the first playing
cards in Japan. Originally for export, the product became popular
in Japan as well as abroad. 1933 - Established an unlimited partnership, Yamauchi
Nintendo & Co. 1947 - Began a distribution company, Marufuku Co. Ltd. 1950 - Hiroshi Yamauchi, grandson of the original president,
took office as President and absorbed the manufacturing operation
of Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. 1951 - Changed the company name from Marufuku Co. Ltd.
to Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd. 1952 - Consolidated factories were dispersed in Kyoto. 1953 - Became the first to succeed in manufacturing mass-produced
plastic playing cards in Japan. 1959 - Started selling cards printed with Walt Disney
characters, opening a new market in children's playing cards.
The card department boomed! 1962 - In January, listed stock on the second section
of the Osaka Stock Exchange and on the Kyoto Stock Exchange. 1963 - Changed company name to Nintendo Co. Ltd. and started
manufacturing games in addition to playing cards. 1969 - Expanded and reinforced the game department; built
a production plant in Uji City, a suburb of Kyoto. 1970 - Stock listing was changed to the first section
of the Osaka Stock Exchange. Reconstruction and enlargement of
corporate headquarters was completed. Started selling the Beam
Gun series, employing opto-electronics. Introduced electronic
technology into the toy industry for the first time in Japan. 1973 - Developed laser clay shooting system to succeed
bowling as a major pastime. 1974 - Developed image projection system employing 16mm
film projector for amusement arcades. Began exporting them to
America and Europe. 1975 - In cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric, developed
video game system using electronic video recording (EVR) player.
Introduced the microprocessor into the video game system the
next year. 1977 - Developed home-use video games in cooperation with
Mitsubishi Electric. 1978 - Created and started selling coin-operated video
games using microcomputers. 1979 - Started an operations division for coin-operated
games. 1980 - Announced a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of
America Inc. in New York. Started selling "GAME & WATCH"
product line. 1981 - Developed and began distribution of the coin-operated
video game "Donkey Kong." This video game quickly became
the hottest selling individual coin-operated machine in the business. 1982 - Merged New York subsidiary into Nintendo of America
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Seattle, Washington,
U.S.A., with a capital of $600,000. 1983 - Built a new plant in Uji city to increase production
capacity and to allow for business expansion. Established Nintendo
Entertainment Centres Ltd. in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, to operate
a family entertainment center. Raised authorized capital of Nintendo
of America Inc. to $10 million. In July, listed stock on the
first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Started selling the
home video game console "Family Computer" employing
a custom CPU (Custom Processing Unit) and PPU (Picture Processing
Unit). 1984 - Developed and started selling the unique 2-screen
interactive coin-operated video game "VS. System". 1985 - Started to sell the U.S. version of Family Computer
"Nintendo Entertainment System" (NES) in America. The
system included R.O.B. - Robotic Operating Buddy - and the games
Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. Mario and Luigi became as big
a hit as the NES. 1986 - Developed the "Family Computer Disk Drive
System" to expand the functions of the Family Computer.
Began installation of the "Disk Writer" to rewrite
game software. Game Counselors were organized and players from
all over the world could call Nintendo for advice on games and
strategies. 1987 - Sponsored a Family Computer "Golf Tournament"
as a communications test using the public telephone network and
Disk Faxes to aid in building a Family Computer network. The
NES achieved the status as the #1 selling toy in America and
The Legend of Zelda became the first new generation home video
game to exceed sales of one million units. 1988 - Nintendo of America Inc. published the first issue
of Nintendo Power magazine in July. Researched and developed
the Hands Free controller, making the NES accessible to many
more Nintendo fans. The game library for the NES grew to 65 titles,
helping to broaden the demographics to include more adults. 1989 - Released "The Adventure of Link," sequel
to the top-selling game "The Legend of Zelda" in the
U.S. Started "World of Nintendo" displays in U.S. to
help market Nintendo products. Studies show that children are
as familiar with "Mario" as they are with Mickey Mouse
and Bugs Bunny! Introduced Game Boy, the first portable, hand-held
game system with interchangeable game paks. Nintendo Power magazine
became the largest paid-subscription publication in its age category. 1990 - Nintendo Power Fest featuring the Nintendo World
Championships tours the country. Japan enters the 16-bit market
by releasing the Super Famicom in the fall. 1991 - The 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System
(Super NES), along with "Super Mario World," is released
in the U.S. 1992 - The Super NES Super Scope and Mario Paint with
the Super NES Mouse Accessory were released. The long-awaited
"Zelda" sequel, "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to
the Past," arrived for the Super NES. Nintendo of America
Inc. developed portable Fun Centers to assist the Starlight Foundation
in bringing happiness to hospitalized children by allowing them
to enjoy their favorite video games during hospital stays. 1993 - Nintendo announces the advent of the Super FX Chip,
breakthrough technology for home video systems. The first game
using the Super FX Chip, "Star Fox," is released in
April. 1994 - The Super Game Boy accessory was released, expanding
the library of games that could now be played on the Super NES!
Everyone's favorite heroine, Samus, returns in another long-awaited
sequel, Super Metroid. Nintendo helped pioneer the development
and implementation of an industry-wide rating system. This year
also saw the introduction of a game that would set a new standard
in video game excellence. Using proprietary Advanced Computer
Modeling (ACM) graphics, Donkey Kong Country took the holiday
season by storm! Nintendo Gateway projected to reach 40 million
travelers. 1995 - Thanks to the outstanding success of Donkey Kong
Country, ACM graphics were introduced to the Game Boy system
by way of Donkey Kong Land. Along with this great boost to the
Game Boy system line, Nintendo also introduced the Play It Loud!
series of Game Boy systems. ACM graphics made another appearance
on the Super NES with the release of the arcade smash-hit, Killer
Instinct. At the same time, Nintendo introduced a 32-bit Virtual
Immersion system known as the Virtual Boy. Next, Nintendo responded
to the demands of fans with the release of Yoshi's Island: Super
Mario World 2. Nintendo even enhanced the quality of ACM graphics
for the upcoming release of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong
Quest. Cruis'n USA and Killer Instinct available in local arcades.
Celebration of the one-billionth game pak being sold. 1996 - Nintendo 64 launches in Japan on June 23. Thousands
line up to be the first to experience the world's first true
64-bit home video game system. In early September, Nintendo introduces
the Game Boy pocket, a sleeker, 30-percent smaller version of
the world's most popular hand-held video game system. On September
29, Nintendo 64 launches in North America. Super Mario 64 is
proclaimed by many as "the greatest video game of all time!"
For the Super NES we saw the release of the third game in the
continuing Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's
Double Trouble. 1998 -Nintendo introduces Game Boy Color and innovative
devices Game Boy Camera and Printer, bringing new life to the
longest running hit in the history of interactive entertainment.
Pokémon, a breakthrough game concept for Game Boy, was
introduced to the world and generated a nationwide craze to collect
'em all! The most anticipated video game ever, The Legend of
Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 was released, setting
new standards and breaking records for pre-sell for any video
game to date. 1999 - The success of the Pokémon franchise expands
even further with the release of Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon
Yellow, and the first Pokémon title for the Nintendo 64,
Pokémon Snap. Nintendo releases several notable N64 titles
including Star Wars: Episode 1: Racer, Mario Golf, Super Smash
Bros., Donkey Kong 64, Mario Party, and Perfect Dark. At E3,
Nintendo announces development plans for a new system, code-named
Dolphin, that will utilize an IBM Gekko processor and Matsushita's
proprietary optical disk technology. 2000 - Nintendo sells its one hundred millionth Game Boy
unit, ending the year with more than 110 million sold. Game Boy
is responsible for 47% of all U.S. hardware system sales (an
all-time high for a portable device). Pokémon Stadium
is the top-selling console game, followed by The Legend of Zelda:
Majora's Mask, both for N64. Pokémon Gold and Silver for
Game Boy Color make their U.S. debut in October, becoming the
fastest-selling games of all time by selling a combined 1.4 million
copies in one week and 6 million through December. 2001 - Beloved Nintendo characters Mario and Donkey Kong
celebrate their 20th anniversaries. Nintendo launches its highly
anticipated Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21. The portable
powerhouse debuts in the U.S. on June 11, and sells one million
units in six weeks. Following the success of the Game Boy Advance,
Nintendo launches the Nintendo GameCube home video game console
in Japan on September 14. The U.S. launch on November 18 smashes
previous U.S. sales records, becoming the fastest-selling next
generation hardware system. 2002 - After 52 years at the helm of Nintendo Co., Ltd.,
Hiroshi Yamauchi steps down and names Satoru Iwata his successor.
Nintendo releases a slew of hot titles for the Nintendo GameCube
including Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4, Animal Crossing,
Eternal Darkness, and the game that many laud as the greatest
title of 2002, Metroid Prime. Nintendo releases their first online
game for the Nintendo GameCube, Phantasy Star Online. By the
end of 2002, more than 25 million Game Boy Advance units are
in homes around the world. 2003 - Nintendo takes an already successful system and
makes it better, with the introduction of the Game Boy Advance
SP. Its stylish flip-top design and rechargeable battery help
it become the must-have system across all age groups. Following
up the previous year's critically-acclaimed success of Nintendo
GameCube titles, Nintendo launches The Legend of Zelda: The Wind
Waker. The game's cell-shaded style breaks the mold and is hailed
as one of the best Zelda games ever. Giving fans further ways
to enjoy their Nintendo products, the release of the Nintendo
GameCube Game Boy Player allows gamers to play their Game Boy
and Game Boy Advance games on their televisions. 2004 - Nintendo launches the innovative, new, dual screen
handled video game system: the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo DS offers
touch screen controls, wireless multiplayer, and backwards compatibility
with Game Boy Advance games. The demand for the Nintendo DS makes
it one of the year's hottest items. Pokémon FireRed and
LeafGreen launch for the Game Boy Advance, continuing the success
of the Pokémon franchise. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes hits
the scene for the Nintendo GameCube, and is lauded by critics
and fans alike. 2005 - November saw a truly special moment in Nintendo's
history: the launching of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Nintendo
DS owners were treated to this free and easy-to-use wireless
service that enabled them to play with other gamers from around
the world. The service was so successful that after only two
months from launching, over 10 million connections were made
by nearly half-a-million unique users! On the GameCube front,
the much-anticapted Resident Evil 4 launched first on the Nintendo
GameCube, earning "Game of the Year" honors from many
publications, and setting a new standard in graphics and game
play. After nearly 20 years of providing top-notch game play
support, Nintendo transitioned its game play help resources from
Game Play Counselors, to exclusively offering help on web sites,
through publications, and on our pre-recorded Power Line. An
improved Game Boy Advance SP, the sleek new Game Boy micro, and
the innovative Nintendo DS kept Nintendo on top of the hand held
market.