Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has reiterated in a recent (and now translated) shareholders meeting how the Japanese firm will continue to “create opportunities” for people to experience Nintendo’s past with “initiatives” such as Switch Online.
This was tied to a question asking about Nintendo’s views on “recording, preserving and passing on Nintendo’s culture and philosophy of play”, with Furukawa acknowledging public efforts and how there are also “certain challenges” when it comes to preserving and exhibiting retro games.
He also noted how the Nintendo Museum has become a historical touchpoint for more than 800,000 people since opening its doors in October 2024. Here’s the full exchange:
Q5
How does Nintendo view recording, preserving, and passing on Nintendo’s culture and philosophy of play through books, Nintendo Museum, and other means, and archiving them for the future?
A5
Furukawa: We opened Nintendo Museum in October 2024. More than one year has passed, and as of the end of April 2026, over 800,000 people had visited. We believe Nintendo Museum provides a good opportunity for visitors to encounter the products and other items Nintendo has released over the
years.We are aware that there are examples of past products being bought and sold as items of historical value, and of efforts to publicly archive game software in the same way as books and magazines. We are very grateful that this shows recognition of the value of the video games Nintendo has worked on for many years. On the other hand, we believe there are certain challenges in preserving and exhibiting past games as they are, particularly in keeping them in a playable state. Through Nintendo Switch Online, we make software from previous video game systems available to play. By continuing such initiatives, we will create opportunities for many people to experience games from the past.
Furukawa elaborated on Switch Online’s retro offerings in a separate response, mentioning how Nintendo would like to continue exploring a “variety of possibilities” going forward:
By subscribing to our Nintendo Switch Online services, consumers can enjoy software from NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 64. On Nintendo Switch 2, consumers can also play Nintendo GameCube software.
We believe that being able to play these games provides a sense of nostalgia for consumers who played them in the past, while also giving new consumers an opportunity to become familiar with Nintendo’s game series and characters. Taking technical challenges and other factors into account, we would like to continue exploring a variety of possibilities going forward.
Nintendo has revived its past releases in all sorts of ways over the years. For the Switch and Switch 2 generation, users must now purchase either a basic or expansion tier subscription to access some (or all) of the ‘Nintendo Classics’ libraries. Unfortunately, this subscription service hasn’t always lived up to expectations, with fan feedback often citing a limited selection of games, long waits between updates and emulation issues. A game was also removed from the SNES library at one point.
Before the launch of Switch Online, Nintendo made retro games available via its Virtual Console service, allowing users to purchase standalone digital versions of classic games. There was also a time when it was releasing ‘Mini’ hardware, pre-loaded with games from the NES and SNES era. Companies like Hamster Corporation have now stepped in with Arcade Archives.
Earlier this year, there was some renewed hope after the standalone release of the GBA titles Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen on the eShop. It led to questions about more classics being revived as one-time paid purchases, but Nintendo seemingly ruled out the idea of a Virtual Console revival, pointing once again to the Switch Online service as a way to relive its classic titles.
