Nintendo Thanks Fans After Topping Famitsu’s 40th Anniversary Survey
Nintendo has been named the video game industry’s favourite developer in a nationwide reader survey marking Famitsu’s 40th anniversary, and the company responded with an unusually personal thank-you message to fans. The statement, shared after the Japanese gaming magazine tallied votes from more than 5,000 participants, reflected on four decades since the Famicom’s 1983 debut and reaffirmed Nintendo’s commitment to what it called “originality.”
Famitsu’s 40th anniversary survey drew over 5,000 votes
To mark its own 40-year milestone, Famitsu conducted a nationwide survey of more than 5,000 participants, asking fans about their favorite games, characters, developers, and the titles that have left the biggest impact on them. The poll covered a wide spread of categories, from most influential game and series to favourite characters and favourite creators, with the magazine publishing the full breakdown across recent issues.
When it came to the favourite-developer category specifically, readers were asked to name their favorite game developer, and Nintendo landed the coveted top spot. The Kyoto-based company’s dominance wasn’t confined to that single question either; GoNintendo noted that the results show Nintendo maintaining a strong presence throughout several categories, with Sakurai being the favorite creator while Kirby was the fourth most favorite character.
Nintendo’s thank-you message cites Mario, Zelda and 40 years of “originality”
Rather than staying silent on the honour, Nintendo issued a formal statement to fans. Translated by Nintendo Everything, the message opened: “Thank you for choosing Nintendo as the No. 1 ‘Game Developer I Like’. We are also extremely happy that Mario and The Legend of Zelda have been received favorably. Ever since the Famicom (NES) was released in 1983, we have created chances for many to give video games a try, and we are grateful to Famitsu for keeping customers excited and supporting us across those 40 years.”
The company then addressed its creative philosophy across four decades, according to the full translation carried by My Nintendo News: “During these 40 years, technology related to game development has evolved, and the environment has changed as well, but we have continued to keep ‘originality’ as our central theme, going through trial and error and learning many things while creating entertainment with the goal of putting smiles on customers’ faces.”
Looking ahead, GamesRadar+ reported that Nintendo committed to further pushing its own creative identity, stating it will “continue to challenge various things, aiming for unique entertainment that only we could produce, and work hard towards that goal. We shall continue to be in your care from now on.” The message closed on a note directed at Famitsu itself, with Nintendo grateful to Famitsu for keeping customers excited and supporting us across those 40 years, and expressing hope to continue developing a mutually beneficial partnership in keeping the gaming industry lively.
Sakurai and Mario also topped separate Famitsu categories
The favourite-developer result didn’t exist in isolation. Famitsu’s own coverage, cited by My Nintendo News, confirmed that acclaimed video game developer Masahiro Sakurai scooped the award for Favourite Video Game Creator in the same anniversary survey, extending Nintendo’s grip on the results beyond the corporate category alone.
Nintendo Everything’s own recap of the wider results found that Nintendo got a lot of love throughout, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the Big N was chosen as the overall favorite developer, with Mario the top character choice. Notably, other named creators — including Hideo Kojima, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Hidetaka Miyazaki — appeared in the survey’s creator field but were listed alphabetically rather than ranked, leaving Sakurai and Nintendo as the standout named winners of the exercise.
A quiet win as rivals face turbulence
The timing of Nintendo’s applause lap is notable. GamesRadar+ pointed out that the honour lands against a backdrop of upheaval elsewhere in the industry, observing that “given the absolute scenes we’re seeing at Microsoft and Sony right now, hopefully Nintendo continues to focus on what makes games good,” adding that “we’re thankfully not seeing layoffs out of Nintendo every other week”. For a company currently riding high on Switch 2 momentum, a reader-voted crown from Japan’s most established gaming magazine functions as a low-key but meaningful reputational marker, even if Famitsu’s readership — as several fan communities discussing the survey noted — skews older and more nostalgic than the wider Japanese gaming public.
For Australian and New Zealand players who’ve watched Nintendo’s Switch and Switch 2 libraries dominate local charts and eShop sales in recent months, the Famitsu result adds a bit of home-turf validation to a brand that remains a fixture in regional gaming households. It also arrives in a week already stacked with Nintendo activity in the region, from ongoing eShop promotions to Switch 2 software announcements, keeping the company firmly in the conversation on both sides of the Tasman.
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