What Is Nintendo? Japan's Game Giant, From Playing Cards to Switch 2, Explained by Marine

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Long before Mario, Zelda, or the Switch, Nintendo was a Kyoto company making traditional Japanese playing cards.

From Playing Cards to Global Gaming Giant

Nintendo was founded in Kyoto originally as a manufacturer of hanafuda, traditional Japanese playing cards. It later expanded into home video game hardware and software, eventually becoming one of the most influential companies in gaming history through franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon.

Switch 2's Continued Strong Sales

The Nintendo Switch 2 launched June 5, 2025, at $449.99, and remains in strong demand. Cumulative sales reached 23.68 million units as of fiscal Q1 2026 (April-June), with 3.82 million sold in that quarter alone. A US price increase to $499.99 takes effect September 1, 2026, attributed to rising component costs, exchange rates, and oil prices.

What To Know

Nintendo's origin as a playing-card company, founded decades before video games existed as a medium, reframes the entire Switch/Mario/Zelda empire as a relatively late chapter in a much older business — a useful reminder that some of gaming's biggest names weren't "gaming companies" from the start.

Nintendo's hanafuda card origins connect it to a specifically Japanese card-game tradition still played today, distinguishing its founding story from the arcade-and-computing roots of many Western game companies.

What Fans Are Saying

• "Nintendo starting as a playing card company is one of gaming's best-known fun facts."
• "23.68 million Switch 2 units already sold is a huge number."
• "The price increase makes sense given everything going on with component costs."

Original Japanese

• 「花札の会社から始まったというのは、ゲーム業界でも有名な話ですよね」
• 「Switch 2の累計2368万台という数字は本当にすごいです」
• 「部品コストなどを考えると、値上げも納得できます」

Easy Japanese

「任天堂」は、日本のゲーム会社です。もともとは京都で花札を作る会社として始まりました。今はSwitch 2などのゲーム機で知られています。