<P> Nintendo Co. , Ltd. is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company headquartered in Kyoto . Nintendo is one of the world 's largest video game companies by market capitalization , creating some of the best - known and top - selling video game franchises , such as Mario , The Legend of Zelda , and Pokémon . Founded on 23 September 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi , it originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards . By 1963 , the company had tried several small niche businesses , such as cab services and love hotels . Abandoning previous ventures in favor of toys in the 1960s , Nintendo then developed into a video game company in the 1970s , ultimately becoming one of the most influential in the industry and Japan 's third most - valuable company with a market value of over $85 billion . From 1992 until 2016 , Nintendo was also the majority shareholder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball . </P>
when was the japanese videogame company nintendo founded
23 September 1889