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” — https://youtu.be/6dY916HnHOA?t=31
Reggie & Iwata first meeting — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYcBq8TN0gg
Reggie’s E3 Debut (1:36–1:44) — https://youtu.be/jkpY8Ev8c1I?t=95
Reggie Quote Clip (9:18–9:29) — https://youtu.be/jkpY8Ev8c1I
Nintendo “Challenge Conventional Thinking” (12:01–12:31) — https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&t=721&v=nsg3ZWaw3ns

Nintendo DS Era
Metroid Prime Hunters Trailer — https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=metroid+prime+hunters+trailer
Nintendo DS Sales Data — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles
Reggie & Iwata Blue Ocean Strategy — https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html

Wii Era
Wii E3 Gameplay Demo (1:00:11–1:00:23) — https://youtu.be/nsg3ZWaw3ns?t=3611
Wii Sports Commercial (1:30–1:38) — https://youtu.be/qAka9mi9kzQ?t=90
Wii Console Sales Data — https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html

3DS & Wii U Era
Iwata Salary Cut (2011) — https://web.archive.org/web/20150722053312/http://www.1up.com/news/iwata-salary-cut-half-3ds-price-drop-explained
Iwata Salary Halved Again (2014) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoru_Iwata
Nintendo Console Sales History — https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html

Switch Era
Nintendo Switch Reveal Trailer — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5uik5fgIaI
Breath of the Wild Trailer — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw47_q9wbBE
Nintendo Switch Lifetime Sales — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles
Iwata Tribute Clip (4:51–5:21) — https://youtu.be/Onzck2VXD5Y?t=291
Reggie Retirement Announcement — https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Reggie+not+the+nintendo+I+left

Modern Nintendo (2022–2025)
Nintendo Union-Busting Report (Axios) — https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/nintendo-tester-union-busting-whistleblower
NLRB Settlement Report (Kotaku) — https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-smash-bros-ultimate-union-busting-1849652308
Reggie Tweet on Wii Sports Bundle — https://x.com/Reggie/status/1910052940242620563
Switch 2 Paid Demo Announcement — https://youtu.be/bZE9oIFPXWw
Nintendo “Future-Proofing” Statement — https://www.gamesradar.com/platforms/nintendo-switch-2/nintendo-wants-to-future-proof-the-switch-2-like-the-og-console-that-lasted-8-years-and-make-sure-that-people-can-be-publishing-games-on-it-years-after-launch/
Nintendo Remote Disable Policy (FandomWire) — https://fandomwire.com/nintendo-can-now-remotely-destroy-your-switch-2-if-you-mod-it-read-their-new-terms-of-service/
Nintendo Lobbying Against “Stop Killing Games” — https://www.reddit.com/r/Asmongold/comments/1ltl4i6/the_companies_lobbying_against_stop_killing_games/
Nintendo Patent: Basic Game Loops (US12403397B2) — https://gamesfray.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/US12403397B2-2025-09-02.pdf
Switch 2 Third-Party Dock Lockout Report — https://www.theverge.com/report/695915/switch-2-usb-c-third-party-docks-dont-work-authentication-encryption
Switch 2 Launch Sales Press Release — https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-switch-2-sets-record-selling-over-3-5-million-units-globally-in-first-four-days/
Iwata’s Legacy
Satoru Iwata’s Letter to a Fan — https://nintendosoup.com/satoru-iwata-replied-to-a-fans-letter-encouraging-them-on-their-future-goals/

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