Originally formed as a playing card company in Kyoto, Japan, as long ago as 1889, Nintendo is probably one of the oldest companies to have ever played a role in video game development.

Following various attempts to break into new markets, Nintendo started to find a new niche by developing a laser clay shooting system in 1973 - their first break into the electronic entertainment market.

Nintendo produced a series of games consoles during the 1970s, and continued to develop hand held consoles and new games which through licensing to other platforms, secured Nintendo's future.