Nintendo's lineup of game titles has a long colorful history as one of the video game industry's trailblazers. This was especially evident in its Mario game series, which saw generations of gamers enamored with the arcade game.
Nintendo has created some of the most popular video game consoles, including the Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo DS, Wii, and Switch. It is responsible for many major game franchises, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and others.
Based on a recent report from Nintendo Life, Forest Of Illusion, a website dedicated to the preservation of Nintendo's storied history as a games company, recently obtained a copy of the 1996 Nintendo Co. Ltd. Company Report, which is regarded as a rare find for Nintendo memorabilia collectors.
The 1996 Nintendo Co. Ltd. Company Report
The long-awaited digital upload of the Nintendo Company Report was made possible by a collaboration between Nintoid, Render Archive, and the aforementioned Nintendo classics website.
In collaboration with @Render_Archive and user @Nintoid, we've preserved the long-awaited 1996 Nintendo Company Report! It contains many interesting things such as sales information, but most importantly, early renders and brand new screenshots of prototype software! pic.twitter.com/gDS7g5xqna
— Forest of Illusion (@forestillusion) September 21, 2022
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Before Nintendo became a household name, it had a long history of producing amusing and, in some cases, downright exciting toys and video games. Documents like these shed light on the long and tedious journey that the video company took to get to where they are today.
The aforementioned document contains some interesting Nintendo game designs at the time, such as screenshots of the most recent releases, character designs, and gameplay sneak-peek, all in print. Most importantly, the company report includes retro gaming materials as well as news about the most recent video game hardware and software prototypes.
The Nintendo report also includes sales statistics from the time, as well as many early promo renders of games that are now considered classics. If you want to read the company report, you can go to the Forest of Illusion blog and download an online copy of the company portfolio.
Aside from the truly unique artwork, the same Nintendo Life article reports that the most intriguing part of the rare retro portfolio is a screenshot reel of the 1995 Nintendo 64 B-Roll, which shows a small section of Super Mario 64 on a stage that many avid fans of the game may not recognize.
The entire 1996 Nintendo report is written in Japanese, which means we'll have to do some translating to get a better look at the details. Nonetheless, the video game art featured in the company report is nice-looking and is sure to bring back memories for '90s Nintendo fans.
No More Media Log-ins for Nintendo
In other news, the video game console company will no longer allow Nintendo accounts to be accessed via Facebook or Twitter. Nintendo will discontinue social media logins into Nintendo Accounts and the Image Share service on 3DS and Wii U consoles next month, as per a Eurogamer report.
Nintendo has been gradually ceasing support for the 3DS and Wii U, and on March 27, 2023, both systems' eShop storefronts will be shut down, says the same report.
