Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Moby ID: 1891

History add

April 28, 2007

The company acquires 80% of the shares of Monolith Software, Inc. and thus takes over the company.

December 8, 2006

The Wii is released in Europe.

December 2, 2006

The Wii is released in Japan.

November 19, 2006

The Wii is released in the United States.

March 11, 2005

Nintendo DS is released in Europe.

December 2, 2004

Nintendo DS is released in Japan.

November 21, 2004

Nintendo DS is released in USA.

January 20, 2004

Nintendo DS (Dual Screens) is announced.

May 3, 2002

The GameCube is released in Europe with 20 launch titles.

2002

Hiroshi Yamauchi steps down after 52 years at the helm of Nintendo, naming Satoru Iwata as his successor

November 18, 2001

The GameCube is released in North America.

September 14, 2001

The GameCube is released in Japan.

June 11, 2001

The GBA debuts in the US, selling 1 million units in six weeks.

March 21, 2001

The next iteration of the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, is released in Japan

2001

The Game Boy Advance and Nintendo Gamecube are released. Meanwhile Mario and Donkey Kong celebrate 20 years in the video games industry.

2000

The Game Boy sells its one hundred millionth unit worldwide.

1998

The Game Boy Color, Camera and Printer are released, along with Pokemon (a conversion of the hit Japanese RPG, Pocket Monsters).

August 1, 1997

The Nintendo 64 is released in Europe.

September 29, 1996

Nintendo 64 console is released in the United States at the MSRP of $199.95.

September 1996

The Game Boy Pocket, a smaller version of the Game Boy, is released.

June 23, 1996

The Ultra 64 hardware becomes the Nintendo 64 console system, and is released in Japan.

1995

The company acquires 25% of Rareware.

1995

Nintendo releases two new hardware components: a 32-bit Virtual Reality machine, the Virtual Boy and the Ultra 64 hardware chip-set, for which two arcade titles, Killer Instinct and Cruis'n USA, use.

1994

Nintendo helps to develop and implement an industry-wide rating system for video games.

August 23, 1993

Nintendo and Silicon Graphics announce an worldwide Joint Development and License Agreement for developing a truly three-dimensional, 64-bit Nintendo machine for home use. "Project Reality" will be unveiled in arcades in 1994, and will be available for home use (target price below $250) by late 1995.

1992

The SNES is released in Europe.

August 1991

The Super Famicom is released as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the US, along with Super Mario World.

November 21, 1990

The Super Famicom, a 16-bit update to the Famicom, is released in Japan.

1989

The Game Boy, one of the first portable gaming systems, is released in Japan and the US

1987

The NES achieves the status of the No.1 selling toy in the US. The Legend of Zelda becomes the first NES title to sell more then 1 million units.

1986

The Famicom was re-designed and released as the "Nintendo Entertainment System" in the US and Europe, along with Duck Hunt and the Super Mario Brothers.

1984

When the company encountered problems to manufacture games at the same pace they were selling them, the employees were divided into three groups: Nintendo R&D1, Nintendo R&D2 and Nintendo R&D3.

July 1983

Developed and released the home video games console "Family Computer" (aka the Famicom) to Japanese stores.

1981

Nintendo introduced to the arcade world Donkey Kong, which soon become a worldwide hit.

1980

The GAME & WATCH series of video games were released. Also, Nintendo America was created in New York.

1978

Created and started selling coin-operated video games using microcomputers.

1975

With the help of Mitsubishi Electric, Nintendo developed a video game system using electronic video recording (EVR) player.

1963

Changed name to Nintendo Co. Ltd, and began developing games as well as cards.

1959

Sold playing cards with Walt Disney characters on the face, opening a new market in children's playing cards

1951

Marufuku Co. Ltd. changes its name to Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd.

1950

Hiroshi Yamauchi becomes President, absorbing the manufacturing operation of Yamauchi Nintendo & Co., with distribution company Marufuku Co. Ltd. the primary company.

1933

Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. established.

1902

Fusajiro Yamauchi (Great-Grandfather of long standing Nintendo President, Hiroshi Yamauchi) distributes "Hanafuda", a Japanese playing card he created in 1889, in Japan.