Do we like Nintendo?
Video game maker: Switch 2 console, Mario and Zelda games, and films. Based in Kyoto, Japan.
Our score: 6 out of 10. Mostly harmless, well-loved products with decent climate reporting. The treatment of US contractors and the Switch 2 price rise hold the score back. We'd back them, but not with full enthusiasm.
Nintendo began in 1889 in Kyoto, making hanafuda playing cards, and it's still headquartered there. One ownership explainer says the Yamauchi family founded it but no longer owns any of it, so it's now held by public shareholders. Shuntaro Furukawa has been president since 2018. Shareholders re-elected him in 2026 with about 91% support.
The big stain is how Nintendo of America treats contractors. In 2022 Kotaku and Axios spoke to workers who called themselves second-class citizens. An NLRB complaint accused Nintendo and staffing firm Aston Carter of surveillance and retaliation. Nintendo said it is committed to a welcoming workplace. In 2024 it cut contractors while adding some full-time roles.
Nintendo is also very litigious about piracy. A Washington federal court gave it a $4.5m default judgment against a Switch piracy site operator. A US court ordered the Modded Hardware owner to pay $2m. Yuzu's makers settled for $2.4m. Piracy is a real problem, but the company's approach is hardball.
On customers, Nintendo raised the Switch 2's price worldwide. Furukawa said keeping the old price would badly hurt hardware profitability, then apologised and promised a strong software lineup. On the green side, Nintendo reports emissions across all three scopes and one write-up says its total fell nearly 24% in 2024. Overall that's a 6: decent company, flawed on labour.