November 16, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-11-16) (as The Pokémon Center) May 14, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-05-14) (as Nintendo World) February 19, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-02-19) (as Nintendo New York)
The store sells a wide variety of Nintendo video games and merchandise, including apparel, hardware, and accessories that are exclusive to the store, such as Japanese Mario character plushies, and special guides to a wide variety of Nintendo games. The store includes a dedicated Pokémon section.
On the second level of the store, there are kiosks with various Nintendo Switch games running, allowing anyone to play.[2] The second story also serves as a museum featuring past Nintendo game systems and peripherals.[3] Notable items include the Power Glove, an original Nintendo Entertainment System, and a Nintendo Famicom from Japan. Nintendo New York regularly holds tournaments and shows for new games, giving early releases and prizes to winners. In addition, they have held screenings for multiple official Nintendo broadcasts including Nintendo Directs.
History
The space was formerly called The Pokémon Center, which opened on November 16, 2001. It ran until January 2005, when it closed for remodeling, reopening as the Nintendo World store 4 months later.[1]
On November 1, 2010, the Nintendo World store re-opened after a three-week makeover that included various upgrades, including the addition of new Nintendo DSi systems, adjusted lighting, and an expanded museum area.[2] Part of the makeover included getting ready for the 25th anniversary celebration of Super Mario Bros. on November 7, 2010.[2] Guests to the celebration included Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé and Shigeru Miyamoto.[6]
On November 17, 2012, the Nintendo World store had a big launch event for the Wii U, with hundreds of people in attendance. Reggie Fils-Aimé (who grew up in the NY area) made an appearance at the event.[7]
From November 21, 2014 until January 15, 2015, anyone with a copy of Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire could receive an Eon ticket for their individual game to have an in-game encounter with Latias or Latios, depending on their version of the game. Once the Eon ticket had been obtained, it could be passed on to other players with a copy of the game for free via StreetPass.
On January 19, 2016, the Nintendo World store was closed for renovation and re-opened its doors on February 19, 2016, with new features in the store.[8][9][10][11][12] On its re-opening, the store was renamed "Nintendo New York."[13][14][15]
On March 14, 2020, Nintendo NY shortened their hours open to the public. Two days later, on March 16, 2020, they announced on Twitter that they would be officially on full closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[16] On August 5, 2020, Nintendo NY announced they would be reopening the store on August 8. However, visitors must follow the correct guidelines during the pandemic and if they want to enter the store they must book a reservation online.
The museum on the second story once displayed a Game Boy previously owned by Dr. Stephan Scoggins, a medic who was deployed during the Gulf War. The front of the console was severely burned and melted in his barracks during a bombing, and while still in service, Scoggins sent the console to Nintendo of America's magazine Nintendo Power hoping they could replace it. While the technicians that received the console determined it was a "lost cause", they discovered it could still be powered on and that the Start and Select buttons still worked, inserting a copy of Tetris to test it with. Nintendo Power sent Scoggins a replacement Game Boy "as a special 'Desert Storm' courtesy", and his letter asking for a replacement along with pictures of the console were featured in issue #26 of the magazine.[18] The damaged Game Boy was later displayed at the store since its opening as a testament to the console's durability, remaining powered on and receiving timely maintenance until it was confirmed in 2023 that it was returned to Nintendo of America's headquarters in Redmond, Washington.[19][20][21][22]
Sister locations
The Nintendo of America headquarters in Redmond, Washington has a private store for employees.[23]
On November 22, 2019, Nintendo opened their first sister location in Japan called Nintendo Tokyo. The new flagship store is located inside the newly rebuilt Shibuya Parco department store.[24]The Pokémon Company later announced a new Pokémon Center store opening adjacent to Nintendo Tokyo in late November 2019, the same day as Shibuya Parco's (re)opening date.[25] Nintendo announced on November 5, 2021 that they would open another sister location in Japan called Nintendo Osaka, by the end of 2022. It opened in November 2022. It is located on the thirteenth floor of the Daimaru Umeda department store in Kita-ku, as a store-within-a-store.[26] On April 14, 2023, Nintendo announced they are launching their third Japanese store called Nintendo Kyoto on October 17, 2023, which will be located within the Takashimaya Department Store building in Kyoto, Nintendo's hometown.[27]
Nintendo will open its second US retail store called Nintendo San Francisco in the city's Union Square neighborhood in 2025.[28][29]
In May 2012, Shas Samurai, Nintendo's official representative in Saudi Arabia, opened a "Nintendo World Store" at Al Faisaliah Mall in Riyadh.[36][37] In June 2019, Nintendo's official Israeli distributor TorGaming Ltd. launched a licensed Nintendo retail store at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. The store was Dizengoff Center's second largest launch.[38] In March 2020, a store dedicated to the Nintendo Switch called "NSEW" has opened in Hong Kong in cooperation with Nintendo.[39]
