30 years ago, Mario pressured pirated copies of Nintendo games to teach him a lesson. He wasn’t kidding.

Gaming News 30 years ago, Mario pressured pirated copies of Nintendo games to teach him a lesson. He wasn’t kidding.

3 million counterfeits per year

The last few months have shown this: Nintendo doesn’t mess with criminals, neither online nor in real life. Not long ago, the individual The originator of the threats against Kyoto society was taken into custody

. Also worth highlighting is the letter to the manager of a Palworld mod that transformed the game’s characters and friends into Pokémon protagonists. We do not abuse the company’s flagship licenses with impunity. A strictness that Big N has demonstrated for almost 40 years. This is supported by varying evidence over the years.

For example, we are at the beginning of the 90s, more precisely in September 1994. In the Dutch newspapers there are amazing pictures in which we see Mario, the mascot, accompanying a steamroller. Both are working to destroy…Nintendo games!

There shouldn’t be any mistakes. Nintendo does this for the simple reason that they are counterfeit copies from China, more specifically Taiwan. Dutch newspapers explain that around ten thousand video games were compressed before the explosion at Lelystad airport. A small thing back then: three million counterfeits are confiscated for destruction every year. Counterfeits that represent lack of profit (We’re talking about 800,000 guilders here, or around 400,000 dollars today!

) additionally for Nintendo, which was already well established in the market at this point. The last two consoles, the Game Boy and the Super NES, offer a catalog of high-quality video games and sell like hot cakes.

Nintendo was on the verge of collapse in 1983

Success attracts jealousy and, above all, envious people who also want a piece of the pie. Back in the 80s, Nintendo had to contend with many Patent troll

: Studios scrambling to develop video games in hopes of winning the jackpot by suing the publishers who came up with the idea subsequently. There were a lot of them in the 80s, which even led to the collapse of video games in 1983. For once, Nintendo proved to be the market’s great savior.

Zelda, Mario, Pokémon… Nintendo games have always had one thing in common, and you never noticed it. They all bear the same gold seal reading “Original Nintendo Quality Seal”, the description of which is still available on the official Nintendo website. A golden seal that strengthens the trust between Big N and its customer and certifies the quality of its own games. A detail that can make you smile today, as the digital market has seemingly taken over the physical market when it comes to video games. Still, it remains a witness to a time when Nintendo was already uncompromising with its licenses. And almost 40 years later, the company has remained true to itself.