They say that “age is but a number,” but it’s a little more impressive when that age is in the triple digits and you’re still going strong. Yesterday, Nintendo was revealed to be 135 years old. While that may not be a number that most people celebrate, as they often wait for zero numbers or something substantial like “150,” it’s important to remember that numerous people didn’t think The Big N would last as long as it did, especially in recent times. Plus, with the arrival of a certain museum dedicated to their history, why not celebrate every year of life it gets?
Let’s start with the obvious; as the picture chart below shows, Nintendo didn’t start out as a video game company. Instead, it was one that made special Japanese-style games that were very popular. Then, it shifted to making card games and toys, which helped extend its purpose and keep it going during many periods. It wasn’t even until the 1960s that the oval-shaped logo that we all know and love started being used.
Fast forward to 1975 and they made their first video game, and no, it didn’t feature Mario, that would come later. They would start making arcade games, including bringing in Shigeru Miyamoto to help them make titles that stood out from the rest of the market. Then, after creating a presence for themselves in Japan via the Famicom, they decided to help “save the Western market” in 1985 by releasing the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES. We’re pretty sure you can guess what happened from then until now, right?
Regardless, The Big N kept going, and while there were high points and low points, we’re looking at you, Wii U, and Virtual Boy; they always bounced back. When you get to the Switch era, you see arguably its best period in history, with console sales through the roof and its software lineup being the best and most robust collection it’s arguably ever done.
The question now is, “What’s next?” Well, we partially already have that answer. First, we know that the company is determined to keep expanding its IPS into different markets, such as how they had a huge success with Mario in the animated film industry, and more products like that are on the way. They’re expanding the theme park they made, building new stores for people to buy stuff at, and, of course, they’re making the Switch 2.
So, yeah, Nintendo is going to be around for a while.
