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How NES creator Masayuki Uemura brought Nintendo's first home console to life

"I was kind of at my wits’ end and people were leaving my team to go to Mr. Yokoi’s team because there was such popularity around the Game & Watch. I was left with just three people on my team."

Chris Kerr, News Editor

October 27, 2015

1 Min Read
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"I was kind of at my wits’ end and people were leaving my team to go to Mr. Yokoi’s team because there was such popularity around the Game & Watch."

- NES Creator Masayuki Uemura on the struggles of creating Nintendo's first home console.

USgamer has uploaded an extensive interview with NES creator Masayuki Uemura that's well worth a read if you're keen to find out how Nintendo's first home console came into being. 

Uemura talks through the successes and failures he encountered as he tried to bring the system to life, recalling how, at one point, an internal fued between his team and those working on the Game & Watch threatened to bring development to a standstill. 

"At the time," says Uemura, "the engineers at Nintendo were kind of split between two teams: The one making games for arcade, like Space Invaders (which wasn’t ours, but we had Donkey Kong). And then there was Mr. Yokoi’s team, focused on making the handheld Game & Watch devices.  

"The Game & Watches sold like hotcakes - it was surprising. I was kind of at my wits’ end and people were leaving my team to go to Mr. Yokoi’s team because there was such popularity around the Game & Watch. In the end, I was left with just three people on my team!  

"It was at that time that Mr. Yamauchi contacted me and said, 'OK, let’s make a game console for the home.'"  

Head on over to USgamer for the full article

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2015

About the Author

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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