Wikipedia

Nintendo New York

Nintendo New York (previously known as Nintendo World and The Pokémon Center) is the flagship specialty store of video game corporation Nintendo. Located in 10 Rockefeller Plaza, at Rockefeller Center in New York City, the two-story, 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) store opened on May 14, 2005.[1]

Nintendo New York
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryDistribution, retail
FoundedNovember 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)
Headquarters
New York City, New York
,
U.S.
ProductsNintendo products, video games, and merchandise
OwnerNintendo
Websitewww.nintendonyc.com

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

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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 September 25, 2005, developer Shigeru Miyamoto visited the Nintendo World store to commemorate the release of Nintendogs and the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.[4]

On July 10, 2010, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii visited the Nintendo World store to commemorate the release of Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.[5]

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.

On June 1, 2020, the store's windows were vandalized during a riot in wake of the George Floyd protests.[17]

Game Boy damaged in the Gulf War

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The bomb-damaged Game Boy unit in public display

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

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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]

Additionally, Nintendo launched official pop-up stores in 2021 at various Japanese cities,[30] and later in 2023 in Seoul,[31][32] Singapore,[33] and Hong Kong.[34][35]

Licensed

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sarrazin, Marc-André (April 21, 2005). "Nintendo World Store Opening Party — Nintendo Spin". NintendoSpin.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  2. ^ a b c Schreier, Jason (November 1, 2010). "Photos: New York's Nintendo World Store Sports Slick Makeover". Wired. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Nintendo NYC". Placecot MiX. Archived from the original on 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  4. ^ James Ransom-Wiley (September 25, 2005). "Shigeru Miyamoto at Nintendo World". Joystiq.com.
  5. ^ JC Fletcher (July 1, 2010). "Yuji Horii at Dragon Quest IX launch event". Joystiq.com.
  6. ^ Thomsen, Michael. "Mario Turns 25 at the Nintendo World Store in New York". IGN. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  7. ^ Madden, Orla (17 November 2012). "Reggie Surprises Nintendo World Store Campers 24 Hours Before Wii U Launch". Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Nintendo's flagship store reopens with a new name and new look". Engadget. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  9. ^ "Live from the Nintendo New York store reopening". Nintendo Inquirer. 2016-02-19. Archived from the original on 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  10. ^ "Nintendo NY Reopens in Rockefeller Plaza on Friday, Feb. 19; Photos Available on Business Wire's Website and AP PhotoExpress". Business Wire. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  11. ^ "The Nintendo NY Store Has Now Reopened". My Nintendo News. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  12. ^ "Nintendo NY opens its doors to fans from around the world". Polygon. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  13. ^ Nintendo NY [@NintendoNYC] (15 January 2016). "We're gearing up for our big remodel that will begin on Tuesday, 1/19! Get excited #NintendoNYC fans!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "15-Foot Gaming Screen Part of Nintendo World Store's Major Renovation". GameSpot. 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  15. ^ "Nintendo World Store Getting Big Renovation". IGN. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  16. ^ "Nintendo New York Store Closes Indefinitely In Midst Of Coronavirus Pandemic". DualShockers. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  17. ^ Voigt, Austin (2020-06-02). "Nintendo New York Store Windows Smashed During Riots In Manhattan". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  18. ^ "A Strategic Victory for Game Boy". Nintendo Power. No. 26. July 1991. p. 7.
  19. ^ Sherill, Cameron (April 21, 2019). "This Game Boy Survived a Bombing in the Gulf War". Esquire. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  20. ^ Bueno, Daniel (June 30, 2023). "The Gulf War Game Boy Says Goodbye to Nintendo New York Store". Siliconera. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Scoggins, Stephan. "Biography". Dr. Stephan Scoggins. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  22. ^ We Are The Mighty (10 March 2021). "This is What Happened with the Game Boy that Works After Being Blown Up". G.I. Jobs. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  23. ^ Totilo, Stephen (August 25, 2011). "The Coolest Things in Nintendo's American Headquarters (And One Uncool Thing)". Kotaku. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  24. ^ Webb, Kevin (November 19, 2019). "Nintendo's first store in Japan opens this Friday, and it looks like a Nintendo-lover's paradise — here's what it's like inside". Business Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  25. ^ Iggy (June 18, 2019). "Pokemon Center Shibuya And Nintendo Tokyo Will Open In Late November". NintendoSoup. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  26. ^ "Game on: Nintendo announces new Osaka store opening in 2022". Mainichi Shimbun. November 9, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  27. ^ Yoerider (14 April 2023). "New Official Nintendo Store "Nintendo Kyoto" Coming To Japan October 2023". NintendoSoup. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  28. ^ Roth, Emma (May 24, 2024). "Nintendo is opening its second US store in San Francisco". The Verge. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  29. ^ "Nintendo Announces Plans for Official Store in San Francisco". Nintendo.com. May 24, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  30. ^ GALA-MOS (17 June 2021). "Nintendo Tokyo Pop-Up Stores Announced For Various Cities Across Japan". NintendoSoup. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  31. ^ "「Nintendo POP-UP STORE in SEOUL」 오픈!". Official Nintendo of Korea news page (in Korean). 1 September 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  32. ^ GALA-MOS (2 September 2023). "Nintendo POP-UP STORE in SEOUL Announced, Opens October 20". NintendoSoup. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  33. ^ Yoerider (18 October 2023). "Nintendo Pop-Up Store Coming To Singapore This November". NintendoSoup. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  34. ^ "「Nintendo POP-UP STORE in HONG KONG」將首次登陸香港！". Official Nintendo (Hong Kong) Ltd. news page (in Traditional Chinese). 3 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  35. ^ Yoerider (5 November 2023). "Nintendo Pop-UP Store In Hong Kong Announced, Opens December 2023". NintendoSoup. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  36. ^ Bin Mahfoudh, Ahmad (May 16, 2012). "جولة داخل متجر Nintendo الرسمي في الرياض". TrueGaming (in Arabic). Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  37. ^ "Nintendo store listing on official Al Faisaliah Mall website". Al Faisaliah Mall. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  38. ^ Moses, Shany (June 25, 2019). "Nintendo 2nd worldwide store opens in Israel". Globes. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  39. ^ Iggy (March 18, 2020). "Nintendo Switch Store Opens In Hong Kong". NintendoSoup. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
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