Nintendo: From Playing Cards to Video Games | Company History

Nintendo began with hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto in 1889, long before Mario, the Game Boy, or the Switch. This illustrated history of Nintendo follows the company’s reinventions—from cards to electronic games—and asks why some new ideas became hits while others did not. Explore Game & Watch, Donkey Kong, the Famicom and NES, Game Boy, Nintendo DS, Wii, Wii U, and Switch. The story is about more than a line of consoles: it is about how a company changes its products while giving people a new reason to play. CHAPTERS 00:00 Nintendo before video games 00:20 Kyoto, 1889: playing cards 01:42 A company beyond cards 02:14 The move into electronic play 02:48 Game & Watch 03:56 Donkey Kong and original characters 04:57 Famicom, NES, and Super Mario 06:16 Game Boy and portable play 07:26 Nintendo DS: a different interaction 08:40 Wii and motion controls 09:21 Why Wii U did not repeat Wii 10:35 Switch: a clearer proposition 11:37 Characters beyond consoles 12:29 What reinvention really means SELECTED FACTUAL REFERENCES Nintendo corporatechronology https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/en/hi... IwataAsksGameWatchpage2 https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/... IwataAsksNewSuperMarioBrosvol1page1 https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/... Nintendo IR,hardwarefamilyunits https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/h... IwataAsksWiiU2011 https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/iwata_asks/... Corporate Origins explores how companies begin, adapt, and change the world. This documentary uses original AI-assisted illustrations and synthetic narration. The artwork is an illustrative reconstruction, not archival photographs or footage. #NintendoHistory #BusinessHistory #CorporateOrigins