Frequently Asked Questions
The most-asked questions about nintendo franchises.
What exactly are 'Nintendo franchises'?
They are the long-running series of games, characters, and media properties that Nintendo has developed or published since the early 1980s. The lineup spans platformers, RPGs, party games, and competitive shooters, all built around recurring characters and self-contained worlds.
Who are the most recognizable faces across the catalog?
Mario, Link, and Pikachu are arguably the three most globally known Nintendo characters, with Samus Aran, Donkey Kong, and the broader Pokémon cast rounding out the core roster. Each is anchored to a distinct franchise with its own internal lore and gameplay identity.
Where should a complete newcomer begin?
Super Mario Odyssey offers the most accessible introduction to Nintendo's design philosophy, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild showcases its open-world storytelling. For social or competitive play, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a low-pressure way to explore the wider ecosystem.
What sets Nintendo franchises apart from rival publishers' series?
Nintendo tends to prioritize accessibility, original IP, and tight hardware-software integration over realism or mature narratives. Most flagship series are designed in-house rather than licensed, giving the company unusual creative control across decades of development.
How many 'major' franchises does Nintendo actually run?
Roughly ten to fifteen series have sustained multi-decade runs, including Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid, Kirby, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and Fire Emblem. Smaller but beloved lines such as Star Fox, F-Zero, and Pikmin add to the total count.
Which Nintendo franchise is the best-selling of all time?
By pure game-unit sales, the Mario franchise leads with well over 500 million copies across its many entries. If you factor in trading cards, merchandise, and media adaptations, the Pokémon brand has generated a larger total revenue and cultural footprint.
Are these franchises tied to specific consoles?
Each major series typically debuts on a Nintendo hardware generation and then carries forward to the next, so Mario appeared in sequence on NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, and Switch. This hardware lock-in means some older titles are only playable on their original systems or through emulation.
What are a few landmark moments in the history of these franchises?
The 1985 launch of Super Mario Bros. essentially defined the modern platformer, and the 1996 release of Pokémon Red and Green turned a regional RPG into a worldwide phenomenon. More recently, the 2017 debut of Breath of the Wild reset industry expectations for open-world design.
Do these franchises extend beyond video games?
Yes—Mario, Pokémon, Zelda, and others have spawned anime series, theatrical films, theme-park attractions, and extensive merchandise lines. Nintendo itself operates a small in-house film studio and has partnered with outside studios like Illumination for animated features.
What is the newest major franchise Nintendo has added in recent years?
Splatoon, which launched in 2015, is one of the most recent flagship additions, introducing a territory-control shooter with an entirely new cast of characters. Since then Nintendo has expanded the line with sequels and a Netflix animated series, cementing it as a core pillar of the modern lineup.