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Nintendo

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Nintendo is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it first produced handmade hanafuda cards and also tried several small niche businesses such as a cab company and a love hotel. Nintendo developed into a video game company, becoming one of the most influential in the industry and Japan's third most valuable listed company. The name Nintendo translated from Japanese to English means "Leave luck to Heaven".

Nintendo at a Glance

Nintendo operates out of Kyoto, Japan and has been active since 1973. You might know them as a major publisher with nearly 1560 titles on PlayPile, though they develop about 241 of these directly. Their catalog spans five decades, starting with just 11 games in the 1970s after their early days making cards and other small businesses. Output grew significantly in the 1980s to 134 titles and peaked in the 2000s with 589 releases. The 2010s saw a dip to 348 games, while the 2020s have so far produced 116. They remain active through 2026 with upcoming releases like Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Zero Racers scheduled for late December 2026. Their platform reach is heavily focused on their own hardware. The Wii U leads their catalog with 245 games, followed closely by the Nintendo 3DS with 230 titles. They also have significant libraries on the Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Switch. Adventure games are their most common genre with 377 entries, while Puzzle and Platform games follow with 302 and 273 respectively. Sports and racing titles make up a smaller portion of their work compared to these core genres. Quality varies across their long history but leans toward the positive side overall. Across 811 rated titles, the average score sits at 73.7 out of 100. There are 264 great games scoring 80 or higher, including classics like Super Metroid and Super Mario World. You will also find 462 good titles in the 60 to 79 range. A smaller number of entries fall into mixed or poor categories, with 76 scoring between 40 and 59 and only 9 rated below 40. Their highest scores include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom at a perfect 100 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at 99.7. Recent games like Rhythm Heaven Groove continue to appear on their schedule, but the bulk of their legacy remains in the decades prior.

1612
Total Games
73.7
Avg Rating
1973
First Release
2026
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Adventure
19%
Puzzle
15%
Platform
14%
Arcade
12%
Role-playing (RPG)
10%

Platform Spread

Wii U
248
Nintendo 3DS
236
Wii
184
Nintendo DS
160
Nintendo Switch
158

Release Timeline

1970s
11
1980s
135
1990s
259
2000s
596
2010s
358
2020s
128

Rating Distribution

271
80-100
468
60-79
77
40-59
9
0-39
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 game cover
Rating 8.9

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

1999·WiiU, Wii, New 3DS +1
Mario Golf game cover
Rating 7.9

Mario Golf

1999·3DS, GBC
Picross NP Vol. 3 game cover

Picross NP Vol. 3

1999·New 3DS, SFAM
The New Tetris game cover
Rating 7.3

The New Tetris

1999·N64
Famicom Bunko: Hajimari no Mori game cover

Famicom Bunko: Hajimari no Mori

1999·WiiU, Wii, SFAM
Power Sokoban game cover

Power Sokoban

1999·SFAM
Mario Golf game cover
Rating 8.1

Mario Golf

1999·WiiU, Wii, N64
Picross NP Vol. 2 game cover

Picross NP Vol. 2

1999·New 3DS, SFAM
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe game cover
Rating 7.5

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

1999·3DS, GBC
Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest game cover

Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest

1999·N64
Lucky Luke game cover

Lucky Luke

1999·GBC
Pokémon Stadium game cover
Rating 7.3

Pokémon Stadium

1999·N64
Pokémon Pinball game cover
Rating 6.8

Pokémon Pinball

1999·GBC
Donkey Kong Jr. game cover

Donkey Kong Jr.

1999·GBC
Mario Bros. game cover

Mario Bros.

1999·GBC
Turtle Bridge game cover

Turtle Bridge

1999·GBC
Greenhouse game cover

Greenhouse

1999·GBC
Egg game cover

Egg

1999·GBC
Picross NP Vol. 1 game cover

Picross NP Vol. 1

1999·New 3DS, SFAM
Super Smash Bros. game cover
Rating 88

Super Smash Bros.

1999·Wii, N64
Power Lode Runner game cover

Power Lode Runner

1999·SFAM
Mario's Memory Madness game cover

Mario's Memory Madness

1998·browser
Wario's Whack Attack game cover

Wario's Whack Attack

1998·browser
Mario Party game cover
Rating 7.6

Mario Party

1998·N64
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX game cover
Rating 8.9

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

1998·3DS, GBC
Hey You, Pikachu! game cover
Rating 6.0

Hey You, Pikachu!

1998·N64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time game cover
Rating 99

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

1998·WiiU, Wii, N64 +1
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron game cover
Rating 7.7

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

1998·PC, N64
Tetris DX game cover
Rating 9.3

Tetris DX

1998·GBC
Mini-Yonku Let's & Go!! Power WGP 2 game cover

Mini-Yonku Let's & Go!! Power WGP 2

1998·SFAM
Derby Stallion 98 game cover

Derby Stallion 98

1998·SFAM
Sutte Hakkun game cover

Sutte Hakkun

1998·WiiU, Wii, SFAM
Pocket Monsters Stadium game cover

Pocket Monsters Stadium

1998·N64, 64DD
Waialae Country Club: True Golf Classics game cover
Rating 5.0

Waialae Country Club: True Golf Classics

1998·N64
Cruis'n World game cover

Cruis'n World

1998·N64
F-Zero X game cover
Rating 7.9

F-Zero X

1998·WiiU, Wii, N64
Zootto Mahjong! game cover

Zootto Mahjong!

1998·SNES, SFAM, Satellaview
Banjo-Kazooie game cover
Rating 92

Banjo-Kazooie

1998·N64
Dr. Mario game cover

Dr. Mario

1998·SFAM
Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. game cover
Rating 8.5

Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.

1998·N64
Super Famicom Wars game cover

Super Famicom Wars

1998·WiiU, Wii, SFAM
Bomberman Hero game cover
Rating 7.4

Bomberman Hero

1998·Wii, N64
Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside game cover
Rating 6.1

Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside

1998·N64
Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo game cover

Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shoujo

1998·WiiU, Wii, New 3DS +1
Pokémon Pikachu game cover

Pokémon Pikachu

1998·Handheld
Wario Land II game cover
Rating 7.9

Wario Land II

1998·Game Boy
1080° Snowboarding game cover
Rating 6.8

1080° Snowboarding

1998·WiiU, Wii, N64
Sound Journal for Lovers game cover

Sound Journal for Lovers

1998·Satellaview