Thanks to the Japan Times for this:
Nintendo officially opened the Nintendo Museum on Wednesday in a renovated factory in Kyoto, Japan, showcasing the long history of the Japanese video game giant, from producing playing cards to Super Mario games.
The company began life in 1889 producing Japanese playing cards called hanafuda as well as Western-style ones.
Nintendo launched its first home video game consoles in 1977.
Many exhibits at the museum in the city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture are interactive — including an area where two people can play Mario and Donkey Kong games together on a giant console.
Other zones focus on Nintendo’s vintage products. For example, there is a digital version of an ancient Japanese poetry game, and a workshop for fans to create their own hanafuda cards.
Tickets, priced at ¥3,300 ($23.00) for adults and less for children, are already sold out for October and November.
“Visitors can learn about Nintendo’s commitment to manufacturing that places importance on play and originality,” Shigeru Miyamoto, the renowned creator of Mario (he designed Mario in 1981) and other games, said in a video in August.
The Super Mario games were launched in 1985, two years after the company began selling its classic Nintendo Entertainment System console.
The museum is part of Nintendo’s efforts to broaden its brand that include the release of a smash-hit animated movie last year featuring the Italian plumber and his colorful crew.
The company has also built a Super Nintendo World at the Universal Studios Japan theme park, featuring a Mario Kart ride with a real-life Bowser’s Castle.
A similar area is set to open at the theme park’s huge Orlando location next year.
Kensaku Namera, an analyst at Nomura Securities, said that the museum fits into Nintendo’s strategy as a place where “people can interact” with its gaming franchises.
Repurposing an old factory built in 1969, which was once used by Nintendo for producing playing cards and, later, repairing consoles, is also a canny move, he said.
“It’s an effective reuse of assets” by Nintendo, Namera said.
Homepage
https://museum.nintendo.com/en/index.html
