Nintendo

Nintendo is one of the world’s largest and most historic video game companies.

Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, the company is best known for its best-selling game franchises Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, plus its many game systems from Game Boy to Nintendo Switch.

Founded in 1889, the company’s first products were Hanafuda playing cards, then toys, and later video games. 

Nintendo‘s first arcade games were developed in the 1970s, and the first console system, the Color TV-Game, was released in 1977. Donkey Kong’s 1981 release made Nintendo an internationally dominant company. 

Nintendo has published well-known franchises including Mario, Donkey Kong, Animal Crossing, Star Fox and Super Smash Bros. They have also produced popular consoles, including the Game Boy in 1989, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, the Game Boy Advance in 2001, the Nintendo DS in 2004, the Wii in 2006, and the Nintendo Switch in 2017.  

Super Nintendo World-themed parks can be found at Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Epic Universe, and the Super Mario Bros. series has become a major movie franchise, with two films surpassing $1 billion in revenue.