Creating and selling a brand new device (or two) every 4-7 years is tiring work, and nailing it every time historically doesn’t happen. And because Nintendo is always innovating in a truly distinct way, the upcoming customer response is somewhat unpredictable.

In 2003 LEGO was $800m in debt. But by 2015 they had $1billion+ in sales. What was at the heart of such a crazy comeback?

Patterns.

LEGO did a mountain of research... and found patterns in how children play.

As their then-CEO said - "If you want to understand how animals live, you don’t go to the zoo, you go to the jungle."

So they talked to Lego fans.... See more

Because it’s a hit-driven industry, toy companies that succeed can be immensely profitable for a while. The problem is that the difference between a cultural landmark and a fad is visible after a decade or so, while the decision of how much to order and how much to spend on marketing has to happen every year regardless. So toy companies with a hit ... See more

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the companies that have a reputation for building the best products of this generation—Slack, Figma, Superhuman, Notion, and Linear—are basically new versions of successful predecessors. These companies didn’t distract themselves with four-step strategic maneuvers or clever wedges into a new category that they ... See more

So when anyone frames Nintendo to be “the next X” or “will one day be like Y” it completely misses the point. Connecting to the company’s core values, Nintendo is flexible in its approach and sincere in its intentions, but it will never compromise on being its unique self. And if the company’s central mission is to put smiles on the faces of everyo... See more