In 2019 Nintendo released another instalment in their (almost) yearly series of booklets created for prospective employees of Nintendo of Japan, sent out to people who applied for a job during the yearly hiring cycle in Spring.
After the unusual shape of the 2018 company guide, Nintendo returned to a more standard format for the 2019 guide, with some small surprises.
The booklet measures 25 by 17 centimeters. It has 64 pages. The front and back appear to be a very bland monochromatic white.
On closer inspection, and at the right angle, a Nintendo logo can be seen, printed in clear varnish. A little red bit is peeking out in the bottom corner.
This little corner is inviting you to peel off the white cover, and this reveals the actual front (and back) that shows a splurge of (some very familiar) faces. For a peek at the back, see the bottom of this post.
With some imagination, the design of this 'peel-off' cover can be seen to represent the Nintendo company and the Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto: calm, solid, but also distant and somewhat non-descriptive on the outside, and brimming with energy and excitement on the inside.
The hidden content theme continues on the inside of the booklet, with eight pairs of pages that have not yet been cut. They need to be torn at the perforated edges before their content is accessible.
But first the reader is greeted by Shuntaro Furukawa (古川 俊太郎), the sixth company president, who had just succeeded Tatsumi Kimishima in July 2018. Kimishima had served as president for three years, taking over from Satoru Iwata in 2015 after his tragic death at the age of 55.
In his introduction, Furukawa explains the 'Spirit of Originality' that is so important to Nintendo.
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| The key ingredient of the Nintendo DNA: originality (独創) |
The next page shows a Nintendo company meeting at the headquarter office, with most in attendance wearing company clothes.
The first of the 'hidden' sections is dedicated to Labo, which was first released in 2018.
Next is Splatoon, which transitioned successfully from the Wii U to the Nintendo Switch in 2017.
This is followed by a section dedicated to Mario, with focus on the 2017's Super Mario Odyssey, another key release for the Nintendo Switch.
Mario then gives way to Link, for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
This game was lauded with raving reviews (many reviewers giving it a perfect 10/10), received multiple game of the year awards, and has since been mentioned often as one of the best video games of all time, and the best entry in the Zelda franchise. It is fitting then, that we see Link-to-the-Past Link handing his sword to Breath-of-the-Wild Link.
The next section shows the Nintendo Switch hardware, one of the most successful gaming platforms for Nintendo with more than 80 million units sold and counting.
Nintendo's enduring dominance of the portable gaming market is a combination of hardware innovation and first party software development, and this guide does it's best to attract talent for both areas.
After showcasing these recent Nintendo hit products, the next section gives some behind the scenes views, as well as external shots of the main development centers in Kyoto.
The booklet than moves to the most important element: people. The people who play Nintendo's games.
And the people that make these.
Another important part of the Nintendo culture is an understanding of its past, and this is the subject of the last 'hidden' section.
Nintendo's history started in 1889 with playing cards.
A collage is shown of the many different vintage Nintendo hanafuda package designs from the first decades of the company.
Early versions of the Nintendo ace of spades logo are also included.
This heritage is the foundation of the Nintendo brand.
The inspirational first half of the booklet is closed with some words by the father of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto.
The second half of the booklet, some 28 pages, contains useful information for people interested to apply for a position at Nintendo: corporate details, business locations, company structure, employee conditions and job profiles. A selection of pages from this section is shown below.
An overview of the financial results since 2001 shows the phenomenal results delivered by Nintendo DS and Wii between 2007 and 2011, peaking in 2009. It also shows the recent revival delivered on the back of the Nintendo Switch.
Also included is a condensed visual history of Nintendo, summarising 130 years in one page.
The last pages give brief descriptions of around 30 job types, from design to technology to business administration.
This brings us to the final page, the back. The 2019 company guide closes with a bang: an explosion of Nintendo hardware, retro and new.
An overview of all Nintendo company guides from 1999 can be found here.
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