10 Ways Nintendo Were Almost COMPLETELY Different
Imagine how different thinks would be if Nintendo helped Microsoft build the Xbox...
Nintendo has been a pioneer of entertainment since the Japanese company entered the gaming industry. Over the last 35 years, they've rewrote the rulebook on how to make video games, devised some of the greatest platformers ever, and have created among the most famous fictional characters of all time. You'll struggle to find a single human being who doesn't recognise Pikachu or Super Mario.
Nintendo has hit a few snags here and there but always manages to rise to the top. Considering a single bad decision could spell disaster for Nintendo, you'd assume they work out every single aspect of their company meticulously.
And that couldn't be further from the truth. A lot of Nintendo's defining moments occurred by chance, misunderstandings, or last minute changes. Did you know Super Mario wasn't always going to be Nintendo's mascot? How different would things have been if Nintendo didn't use motion controls? Are you aware that some of the company's most iconic games were created by accident? Here are ten ways Nintendo could have turned out completely different to how we know it today.
10. The Game Boy Color Was An Afterthought
The Game Boy was an instant success upon its release in 1989. Ten years after its debut, Nintendo revealed they were making a successor called the Game Boy Advance.
The GBA was supposed to be revealed sooner but it proved harder to develop than Nintendo anticipated. When the company realised they couldn't release the GBA until 2001, they devised the Game Boy Color in 1998 to fill up a gap in the market.
To the untrained eye, the GBC simply appears to be a regular Game Boy, but in colour. However, the console could process data more efficiently and had four times the memory, allowing for much larger games. On top of that, the GBC had wireless communication. When certain games were inserted into the GBC, it activates new options, weapons, or levels.
When the Game Boy Advance was finally released, it obliterated its competition, selling 81 million units. But because of the GBA's delay, the Game Boy had a resurgence of popularity, selling nearly 120 million units in total, making it the most successful Nintendo console ever apart from the DS. If the GBA wasn't delayed, Nintendo would've ironically made far less money.