What Happened To Nintendo?
What happened to Nintendo?
They gave us Mario, the Wii, and some of the greatest games ever made. But now? They're charging $10 for demos, $80 for games that don’t even come on the cartridge, and even bricking consoles if you mod them.
This is the story of how Nintendo lost its heart.
📚 Sources & References
Leadership & Early Nintendo
Reggie: “This isn’t the Nintendo I left” — • Reggie Fils-Aimé discusses Nintendo union ...
Reggie & Iwata first meeting — • RIP, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata (1959-2015)
Reggie’s E3 Debut (1:36–1:44) — • E3 2004 - Complete Nintendo Press Conference
Reggie Quote Clip (9:18–9:29) — • E3 2004 - Complete Nintendo Press Conference
Nintendo “Challenge Conventional Thinking” (12:01–12:31) — • E3 2006 - Complete Nintendo Press Conference
Nintendo DS Era
Metroid Prime Hunters Trailer — https://www.youtube.com/results?searc...
Nintendo DS Sales Data — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Reggie & Iwata Blue Ocean Strategy — https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/fina...
Wii Era
Wii E3 Gameplay Demo (1:00:11–1:00:23) — • E3 2006 - Complete Nintendo Press Conference
Wii Sports Commercial (1:30–1:38) — • Nintendo Wii sports commercial
Wii Console Sales Data — https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/fina...
3DS & Wii U Era
Iwata Salary Cut (2011) — https://web.archive.org/web/201507220...
Iwata Salary Halved Again (2014) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoru_...
Nintendo Console Sales History — https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/fina...
Switch Era
Nintendo Switch Reveal Trailer — • Video
Breath of the Wild Trailer — • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - ...
Nintendo Switch Lifetime Sales — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Iwata Tribute Clip (4:51–5:21) — • Leading Nintendo as a Black man | Reggie F...
Reggie Retirement Announcement — https://www.youtube.com/results?searc...
Modern Nintendo (2022–2025)
Nintendo Union-Busting Report (Axios) — https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/nint...
NLRB Settlement Report (Kotaku) — https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-sm...
Reggie Tweet on Wii Sports Bundle — https://x.com/Reggie/status/191005294...
Switch 2 Paid Demo Announcement — • Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Review - Is...
Nintendo “Future-Proofing” Statement — https://www.gamesradar.com/platforms/...
Nintendo Remote Disable Policy (FandomWire) — https://fandomwire.com/nintendo-can-n...
Nintendo Lobbying Against “Stop Killing Games” — / the_companies_lobbying_against_stop_killin...
Nintendo Patent: Basic Game Loops (US12403397B2) — https://gamesfray.com/wp-content/uplo...
Switch 2 Third-Party Dock Lockout Report — https://www.theverge.com/report/69591...
Switch 2 Launch Sales Press Release — https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/...
Iwata’s Legacy
Satoru Iwata’s Letter to a Fan — https://nintendosoup.com/satoru-iwata...
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