Nintendo Timeline

1889 Sep 23 Nintendo Founded
Nintendo Company Ltd. (任天堂株式会社, Nintendō Kabushiki gaisha) is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade ha...
1980 Nintendo Releases 'Silver', the First Game & Watch
Game & Watch (ゲーム＆ウオッチ, Gēmu ando Wocchi, or G&W) is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch f...
1981 Nintendo Releases Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu) is an arcade game developed by Nintendo, released in 1981. It is an early example of the platform genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main...
1985 Nintendo Releases the R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) as an Accessory to the NES
R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) is an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in July 1985 in Japan as the Famicom Robot and later that year as R.O.B. in North A...
1985 Oct 1 Super Mario Bros. Released in North America
Super Mario Bros. is a platform video game developed by Nintendo in late 1985 and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros.. In Super Mario ...
1985 Oct 18 Nintendo Entertainment System Released in the US
The Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated to NES or Nintendo) is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in 1985. In most of ...
1987 Aug 22 Nintendo Releases The Legend of Zelda for the NES in North America
The Legend of Zelda, known in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda (THE HYRULE FANTASY ゼルダの伝説, Za Hairaru Fantajī Zeruda no Densetsu) is a video game designed by Shigeru Miyam...
1987 Dec 1 Mega Man Released on the NES in North America
Mega Man, known as Rockman in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom in 1987 for the NES/Famicom. It is the first game to star Mega Man and is the first of the original ...
1987 Dec 18 North American Release of Final Fantasy for the NES
Final Fantasy (ファイナルファンタジー, Fainaru Fantajī) is a console role-playing game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and published in Japan by Square (now Square Enix) in 1987, and publis...
1988 Oct 10 Super Mario Bros. 2 Released in North America
Super Mario Bros. 2 is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was released in North America on October 10, ...
1989 Jan 27 Clash At Demonhead Is Released
Clash at Demonhead (電撃ビックバン?, Dengeki Big Bang!) is a video game released by Vic Tokai for the Nintendo Entertainment System on January 27, 1989 in Japan and December 31, 1990 in North Am...
1989 Apr 21 Nintendo First Releases the Game Boy in Japan
The Game Boy (ゲームボーイ, Gēmu Bōi?) is an 8-bit handheld video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on April 21, 1989 (1989-04-21), in North America ...
1990 Feb 12 Super Mario Bros. 3 Released in North America
Super Mario Bros. 3 (also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3) is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and is the fifth...
1991 The Action 52 is released for the NES
Not just the 52 worst NES games ever. Looking deeper reveals a history of cartridges overheating inside of consoles and even melting, tales of merchandising blitzes based off of one of th...
1991 Aug Super Nintendo Entertainment System Released in North America
he Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasi...
1991 Aug 13 Super Mario World Released on the SNES in North America
Super Mario World is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It has gone on to become a tremendous criti...
1992 Aug 27 Nintendo Releases Super Mario Kart for the SNES
Super Mario Kart (スーパーマリオカート, Sūpā Mario Kāto) is a go-kart racing game developed by Nintendo EAD for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game of the Mario Kart seri...
1995 Jul 21 Nintendo's Virtual Boy Arrives in Japanese Retail
Nintendo's Virtual Boy (バーチャルボーイ, Bācharu Bōi (also known as the VR-32 during development) was the first portable game console capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" out of the box. Mos...
1996 Sep 26 Super Mario 64 Released on the Nintendo 64 in North America
Super Mario 64 is a platform game, developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo, for the Nintendo 64. Along with Pilotwings 64, it was one of the...
1996 Sep 29 Nintento 64 Arrives in North American Retail
During the developmental stages the N64 was referred to by its code name, Project Reality. The name Project Reality came from the speculation within Nintendo that this console could pro...
1996 Dec 14 Nintendo Releases Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64 (マリオカート64, Mario Kāto Rokujūyon) is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in 1996 in Japan and in 1997 in North America and ...
1998 Oct 21 Nintendo Game Boy Color Arrives in Japanese Retail
The Game Boy Color (ゲームボーイカラー, Gēmu Bōi Karā, shortened to GBC) is Nintendo's successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, ...
2001 Jun 11 Nintendo Releases the Game Boy Advance to the North American Market
The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was r...
2001 Aug 27 Nintendo Releases Mario Kart: Super Circuit in North America
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (マリオカートラガ, Mario Kato: Supa Sarkuto), known in Japan as Mario Kart Advance (マリオカートアドバンス, Mario Kāto Adobansu), is a racing game developed and published by Ninten...
2001 Nov 18 Nintendo Gamecube Hits the Shelves in North America
The Nintendo GameCube is Nintendo's fourth home video game console and is part of the sixth generation console era. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and predecessor to Nintendo's Wi...
2003 Nov 7 Nintendo Releases Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for the Gamecube
Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ (マリオカート: ダブルダッシュ!!, Mario Kāto: Doburu Dasshu!!) is a racing game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the N...
2004 Nov 21 Nintendo Releases the DS to the North American Market
The Nintendo DS (ニンテンドーDS, Nintendō Dī Esu, sometimes abbreviated to DS or NDS) is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in C...
2005 Nov 14 Nintendo Releases Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS
Mario Kart DS (マリオカートDS, Mario Kāto DS) is a racing game developed and published by Nintendo. It was released for the Nintendo DS handheld game console in North America, Australia, and Eu...
2006 Jun 11 Nintendo Releases DS Lite in North America
The Nintendo DS Lite (ニンテンドーDS Lite, Nintendō Dī Esu Raito) is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is a slimmer, brighter, and more lightweight ...
2006 Nov 19 Nintendo Releases the Wii
The Wii (ウィー, Uī, pronounced /ˈwiː/, like the pronoun we) is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's X...
2007 Jul 25 Escape from Bug Island! Released for the Wii
"Escape from Bug Island manages to set the Survival Horror genre back about ten years with back-assward conrols, ugly visuals, and fog, fog, fog. " —Dr. Swank
2007 Oct 25 M&M's Kart Racing Released
"Buying actual M&M's is more fun than this broken, ugly mess. " —Dr. Swank
2008 Apr 10 Nintendo Releases Mario Kart for the Wii
Mario Kart Wii (マリオカートWii, Mario Kāto Wī) is a racing game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. It is the sixth inst...
2009 Apr 5 Nintendo Releases the DSi in North America
The Nintendo DSi (ニンテンドーDSi, Nintendō Dī Esu Ai) is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, and the third iteration of the Nintendo DS handheld gaming console, following the Nintend...
2009 Jun 2
to 2009 Jun 4
 E3 2009
LOS ANGELES — Taking a videogame franchise to the next level is a proven draw at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. At this year’s show, developers hope to catch gamers’ attention with...
2010 Jun 15 Nintendo Unveils the 3DS, 3D Successor to DS
Nintendo’s new 3DS hardware is, in a word, unbelievable. The company didn’t talk about how its stunning technology works during Tuesday’s brief demo for members of the press. But work ...
2011 Apr 14 Reports Surface to Indicate Nintendo Wii Successor
New details have surfaced from yesterday's reports that Nintendo is set to unveil its newest console, codenamed "Project Cafe." According to our sources, the new Nintendo controller wi...
2011 Apr 25 Nintendo Announces Wii Successor, Codenamed 'Project Cafe'
This morning, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata went on record, admitting that the company's 3DS sold below expectations. He was fairly candid, revealing the difficulty in getting consumers...
2011 Jun 7 Nintendo Unveils Wii U, Successor to Wii
Yesterday, Nintendo unveiled the Wii U with great fanfare at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The console sports a host of innovative new features, thanks in large part to its revo...