The worldwide popular Japanese company – Nintendo – has provided the globe with not only unique gaming equipment but also a variety of characters. The fact that the organization has been around for over a century is particularly intriguing.
Even at its inception, the company has established itself as a player in the gaming sector. Of course, game consoles were not invented at the start. It all started with the introduction of playing cards.
It all started with playing cards
The date of incorporation was September 23, 1889. This year, 2015, marks the 126th anniversary of the corporation’s founding. To exist on the global market for a century – you will agree that this is not a task for everyone. And the fact that only a few firms have such a long history demonstrates this.
Who is responsible for the existence of this global brand? Fusajiro Yamauchi is a one-of-a-kind individual. He was the one who gave the company the name “Marufuku,” rather than the more familiar “Nintendo.”
As previously stated, playing cards were first manufactured under the brand name “Marufuku.” The work was done by hand. Workers were responsible for applying the paint. Finally, the map was varnished. The director was able to raise income thanks to his cards.
Only in 1907 did the organization obtain its current name – “Nintendo.” Big changes were predicted for the firm ahead of time.
Its popularity peaked in 1956 when “Nintendo” overtook the market leader. Following Fusajiro Yamauchi’s death, his grandson, Hiroshi Yamauchi, took over control. He made the decision to observe and even visit engineers in the United States in order to exchange experiences.
The engineers did not stop with cards. They decided to take it a step further. For the first time in history, this Japanese brand began to develop gaming machines thanks to an exceptional person, Gunpei Yokoi. What is the point of this?
The business debuted three amusing toys for the first time:
Baseball Sword Feeding Machine Mechanical Arm Love Level Tester
Despite the fact that these projects were still in the planning stages, they formed the drive for the organization’s subsequent development.
They did not, however, dare to focus on this invention for an extended period of time. It was necessary to proceed. After some time, it became evident that the major activity of the association would be the development of home game consoles, handheld devices, and slot machines.
Of course, the initial steps were unsure and shaky. But they persisted, and in 1977, the world was introduced to Nintendo’s first game console. Unfortunately, consumers were not as pleased with the console as the designers were.
The organization did not give up, and the first slot machine debuted a year later. But, unlike a game console, he did not find a buyer. After some time, a portable platform known as Game Watch was released.
The fact that a Nintendo branch was opened in America in 1980 can be considered development.
Shigeru Miyamoto, a gifted engineer, presented the concept of introducing the Radar Scope slot machine, which introduced the world to the iconic Donkey Kong. This Japanese organization is also responsible for the birth of the Mario character.
Later, Mario acquired his own slot machine and a collection of many hundred million sold copies of the game. As a result, the group was able to live comfortably at the time.
The popular game from Japan was also exported to the United States. As other renowned titles like Castlevania, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid were released, sales slowed.
Decline in popularity
What factors contributed to the decline in popularity? “Sega” is the name of this reason. And this is just the beginning of the severe competition. The debut of Sony’s PlayStation system to the global market in 1994 dealt a significant blow to our firm. This console is still widely used today.
What transpired in the end? Nintendo’s system has sold 32 million units. Sony has sold 100 million copies.
With the help of another invention, Pokemon, the organization was able to claw its way out of the crisis by the end of the 1990s. Unfortunately, this was only a short-term success. Another company’s system, Game Cube, likewise failed to please customers.
In the end, Nintendo shifted into a niche where their products were only of interest to fans, while the majority of purchasers avoided them. This went on until the Wii was released. This invention was praised by people all around the world.
The long fall has come to an end. The company is currently rediscovering itself. And Nintendo’s future appears to be bright.