Nintendo

Nintendo was founded as Yamauchi Nintendo by Fusajiro Yamauchi in Kyoto, Japan to produce handmade hanafuda playing cards. The business soon gained popularity and mass-produced cards.

Nintendo was founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi in Kyoto, Japan.

Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. was established as an unlimited partnership.

In 1950, due to Sekiryo's deteriorating health, Hiroshi Yamauchi assumed the presidency and headed manufacturing operations, making important changes in the company's operation.

Hiroshi Yamauchi assumed the role of President and led the manufacturing operations of Yamauchi Nintendo & Co.

In 1962, Nintendo became a public company, listed stock on exchanges, adopted its current name, and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards.

In 1965, Nintendo hired Gunpei Yokoi to maintain the assembly-line machines used to manufacture its playing cards, marking the beginning of his significant contributions to the company.

The company rebranded to Nintendo Co., Ltd. and expanded its business to include manufacturing games alongside playing cards.

Nintendo incorporated the microprocessor into a videogame system, marking a significant technological advancement.

Nintendo created the first computer game, pioneering a new era in the gaming industry.

On December 1, 1979, Minoru Arakawa, the son-in-law of Nintendo's Japanese chief Hiroshi Yamauchi, opened Nintendo of America in New York City. This marked the beginning of Nintendo's operations division for coin-operated games.

Nintendo founded its North American subsidiary, Nintendo of America (NoA), in 1980. Hiroshi Yamauchi appointed his son-in-law Minoru Arakawa as president, who then hired his wife Yoko Yamauchi as the first employee.

Donkey Kong was released on December 1, 1981. It was a significant arcade game developed by Nintendo that introduced the iconic character of Mario. The game's success helped establish Nintendo as a major player in the video game industry.

In 1983, Nintendo developed and started selling the unique, twin-screen interactive coin-operated videogame 'VS. System'. At the same time, the company launched the Famicom system in Japan, later renamed Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) when it launched worldwide.

Nintendo developed and distributed the coin-operated video game 'Donkey Kong,' which quickly became the hottest-selling individual coin-operated machine in the business.

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was released in North America, revitalizing the video game industry after the video game crash of 1983 and becoming a cultural phenomenon.

In 1987, Nintendo Entertainment System was released, bringing fresh potential into the gaming market.

On December 4, 1987, Nintendo launched the Famicom Network, an online service for the Famicom system in Japan. This service allowed players to connect and access additional content for their games.

The Game Boy, the first portable, handheld game system with interchangeable game cartridges, is introduced in Japan along with Tetris.

The Super Famicom was released in Japan on November 21, 1990, and became widely successful, selling out across Japan within three days.

Nintendo and Silicon Graphics announced a strategic alliance to develop the Nintendo 64, which was marketed as one of the first consoles with 64-bit architecture.

The Super Game Boy accessory was released, allowing a wider range of games to be played on the Super NES.

On June 23, 1996, Nintendo launched the Nintendo 64 in Japan, the world's first 64-bit home video game system. Thousands of people lined up to be the first to experience this new technology, with over 500,000 systems sold on the first day.

On September 29, 1996, Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 gaming console in North America. The console introduced innovative 3D graphics and iconic games like Super Mario 64, revolutionizing the gaming industry.

Super Mario 64 was released on December 4, 1996, and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time, marking a significant milestone in the gaming industry.

On December 4, 1999, the Pokémon franchise continued to captivate fans worldwide with its unique creatures and engaging gameplay. The release of new Pokémon games and merchandise further solidified its place in popular culture.

Nintendo released Pokémon games in Europe, including titles like Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Pinball with a built-in rumble feature. Other popular games like Mario Golf, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark were also launched during this period.

On April 6, 2001, Pokémon Gold and Silver were successfully launched in Europe, selling one million units over the launch weekend.

The Nintendo GameCube home video game console was launched in the U.S. on November 18. It broke previous U.S. sales records and became the fastest-selling next-generation video game system.

The Nintendo Wii was launched in 2006 with motion-sensing controls and a focus on accessibility. It became one of the best-selling consoles of all time, appealing to a wide range of players with games like Wii Sports.

The Nintendo 2DS system was introduced, providing the same features as the Nintendo 3DS system but without the stereoscopic 3D capability.

The game Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was released on October 3rd. It is also compatible with amiibo figures.

Nintendo unveiled the amiibo interactive figures that could interact wirelessly with specific games on the Wii U GamePad controller when touched. Several amiibo compatible games were released throughout the year.

On July 11, 2015, Satoru Iwata, the former President of Nintendo, passed away at the age of 55 due to a bile duct tumor, leaving a significant impact on the gaming industry.

On March 3, 2017, Nintendo launched the Nintendo Switch, a revolutionary hybrid console that could be used both as a portable device and a home console, reshaping the gaming landscape.

Nintendo introduced Nintendo Labo, a series of interactive build-and-play experiences designed for the Nintendo Switch system.

Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch Online service, a paid subscription that enhances the gaming experience on the Nintendo Switch by offering features like online play, cloud saves, and a library of classic games.

Nintendo launched the Nintendo Switch Lite, a portable version of the Nintendo Switch designed for handheld play, compatible with Nintendo Switch games in handheld mode.

In May 2020, a major leak of documents occurred, including source code and internal information related to Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii. The leak may have been related to BroadOn or Zammis Clark.

A second and larger leak occurred in July 2020, containing gigabytes of data related to the May 2020 leak. It includes source code and prototypes for several early 1990s Super NES games and Nintendo 64 games.

On October 8, Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model featuring a 7-inch OLED screen, adjustable stand, dock with LAN port, 64GB storage, and improved audio.