Nintendo has been around since 1889, though it didn’t start in video games. Fusajiro Yamauchi originally founded the company to produce handmade hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto. It wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s that Nintendo pivoted into electronics and arcade machines, eventually releasing the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1983, which single-handedly revived the North American gaming industry after the crash of that year.
The company’s approach to hardware has always prioritized fun over raw specs. The Wii sold over 100 million units by making motion controls mainstream. The Nintendo DS brought dual screens and touchscreen gaming to handhelds, selling over 154 million units. And the Switch, launched in 2017, blurred the line between home console and portable device, moving over 140 million units and becoming one of the best-selling consoles ever.
Nintendo’s game franchises are among the most valuable in entertainment. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon consistently top sales charts. Breath of the Wild and its sequel Tears of the Kingdom redefined open-world game design. The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed over $1.3 billion at the box office in 2023.
Unlike most competitors, Nintendo manufactures its own hardware, develops its own software, and maintains tight control over its ecosystem. The company sits on massive cash reserves and has weathered multiple hardware flops (Virtual Boy, Wii U) without serious financial trouble. It’s publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with a market cap that regularly exceeds $60 billion.
