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While there are still a few hours to go in the West, in Japan, it’s already September 23, and that means that Nintendo is officially 125 years old today. It’s a pretty amazing milestone for any company, as few can boast that kind of longevity. Founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, the company predated each one of its competitors by over fifty years, including Sega (1940), Sony (1946), and Microsoft (1975). But as most Nintendo fans know, it wasn’t until the 1970s that Nintendo found its true calling.
The video game publisher started life as The Nintendo Playing Card Company, specializing in the Japanese game of Hanafuda. Looking to expand its business, Hiroshi Yamauchi (grandson to founder Fusajiro) traveled to the United States in 1963 to learn more about the card industry. At that moment, Yamauchi realized the limitations of the industry, and began to seek a new future for the company. After a number of different experiments, including a cab service, toys, and love hotels, Nintendo entered the video game industry. Nintendo had a couple of minor successes early on, but it wasn’t until the release of Donkey Kong in 1981 that the company’s trajectory would be forever changed. Donkey Kong‘s success would spur the company to develop a home gaming console. Two years later, the Family Computer System, also known as the Famicom, released in Japan, and in 1985, the system debuted around the rest of the world as the Nintendo Entertainment System. The rest is history.
While the company has had some struggles since those days, Nintendo has always remained a vital part of the overall industry. The company has managed to stay relevant and profitable, despite continually increasing competition, whether it’s from other console manufacturers, or the rise of mobile gaming. For some, “playing Nintendo” is still an expression synonymous with playing video games. We here at Nintendojo would like to wish the company a very happy birthday, and our sincerest hopes for at least another 125 years.
What are some of your favorite Nintendo memories from the company’s history? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s such a fun fact to whip out to people that Nintendo was founded well before Mario was a thing. I definitely took advantage of their birthday yesterday to share this knowledge with my non-gamer friends.