Those familiar with Nintendo history will know that before it moved into the electronic entertainment industry it was founded as a playing card company, producing and marketing its Hanafuda game. Though not quite returning to those roots in a literal sense, the company is releasing an attractive Mahjong set, pictured above.
According to Kotaku it'll retail in Japan — its only confirmed release region — for a little under $200US, with an optional mat for $50. The Nintendo branding, as you can see in the images, is subtle; there's no smiling plumber to be found.
It's an expensive set, but shows Nintendo can produce quality away from video games, too.
[source kotaku.com]
Comments 34
They will release this in america.
But just the tiles. Solitaire for everyone!
I was going to say I'd buy that, but for $200? Wow. I do own the Nintendo Memory game w/Mario characters. Plan to play that with my kid when he's older.
Oh man, I love Mahjongg. I've been playing it for hours, days and weeks in China and back home as well. Even been bringing back a whole set, despite them being really heavy.
I'd love to have one of these Nintendo-branded sets.
Is... this Nintendo's next-gen handheld? 😳 Brain explodes from the awesomeness
I saw that and I thought it was a Club Nintendo reward. That would be amazing.
@sinalefa: So did I
@sinalefa
Same...
@sinalefa: i wish...
Backup Plan?
Nintendo is doomed!!!!!!1!!1!
They should quit the gaming industry and be a hanafuda card company.
Seriously though, that's a nice Mahjong set
Talk about appealing to the casual market...
They never stopped making cards AFAIK.
You can buy plain-old hanafuda cards made by them for a few hundred yen in Japan.
@ReshiramZekrom dude, mahjong is serious business in Japan.
At the end of the night friendships will be over and bank accounts emptied.
I want nothing to do with it, but it is a complex and intense gambling game.
So next-gen that it not only looks real, it IS real!
DAMMIT REGION LOCK!
Surprised this doesn't have any Mario/Nintendo characters imprinted on the stone thingies or anything like they did with the Hanafuda cards in Club Nintendo.
A few months ago, I imported a premium Nintendo Hanafuda deck from Japan. It's a great collector's item. I wish Nintendo had continued their "toy company" business alongside their modern video game business. I would buy a lot of their toys just for myself!
They've been making mahjong sets for a while now apparently. I guess this is either just a new production or they might have stopped a while back only to start up again. I hope they're also still making hanafuda decks; I've yet to pick up a black daitouryou deck like I wanted. So far I only have the Club Nintendo Mario deck and the (cheaply made) Summer Wars deck.
For a second there I thought it would have been a Mahjong set with Nintendo characters as the flowers and seasons. I can think of a few people who would love to have one of those as a gift
Also, $200 for a mahjong set sounds like a very good price. Thought it'd be more expensive.
@AVahne Came to realize this, too.
Not only is this stuff made with quality care, but also quality material - and those are much bigger than the stuff that is sold normally in the west.
man i want this ...
Very nice!
I wish the Nintendo of America web site would sell Hanafuda, Mahjong, etc. (for money, not Club Nintendo points).
Not surprising. Nintendo actually has their fingers in a lot of pies. Amoung other things they make pinball machines, pachinko machines, playing cards, and for some reason owns the Seattle Mariners.
@Frapp
I...want them. I wonder where one would go in Japan to buy any of these games.
Huh. Actually looks nice, but I'm not shelling out for this.
I'm not a Mahjong fan, but that looks amazing.
I wonder if these sets are manufactured in Japan though.
@sinalefa No kidding.
Might as well go back to making Hanafuda cards.
You can find this, along with other goodies, like European playing cards, Hanafuda cards (yes, they still make these), etc., on their Japanese site. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n09/index.html
You can't order these directly from the site, though, unfortunately.
If it was a Go game set, I would probably buy it !
Mahjong? Doesn't this game have Chinese roots though?
I shouldn't be too surprised that Nintendo are still making traditional games, albeit as business on a small scale. I recall actually being an owner of an authentic, Nintendo-branded play card set! (No, not Hanafuda, but actual western play cards with all the well-known symbols ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ .)
Now, if only they'd remake Gumpei Yokoi's "Ultra hand" toy.
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