Nintendo

Nintendo is a Japanese company based in Kyoto. Fusajiro Yamauchi founded it in 1889 to make hanafuda playing cards. It entered electronic games in the 1970s and became a global name with the Famicom, sold abroad as the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Its characters include Mario, Zelda, Pokemon (shared with The Pokemon Company), Kirby and Donkey Kong. The company designs its own consoles and games. Past hardware includes the Game Boy, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Wii and DS. The Switch, released in 2017, works both as a home console and a handheld, and it became one of the best-selling consoles ever. The Switch 2 followed in 2025.

Nintendo prefers original ideas over raw hardware power. It also runs theme park areas with Universal and has released animated films such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023. Shuntaro Furukawa is president. Nintendo is known for protecting its intellectual property, and it has taken legal action against piracy. Its Nintendo Switch Online service offers older games, and the company opened a museum in Kyoto in 2024.