Today marks fifteen years since our Nintendo Life began, and five years since I wrote about our ten-year anniversary, which feels like only yesterday. Back in 2015, Nintendo was teasing us with NX and games for mobile phones as interest really started to wain in the criminally-misunderstood Wii U. We wouldn't say it was the darkest time for Nintendo, but it was pretty grim.
Fast forward to the present, and it's fair to say it's been an incredible five years for Nintendo, and for Nintendo Life. We've grown substantially in that time, and not just in terms of visitors; our team has expanded and our company has matured in many different ways. Switch has obviously been an integral part to our success in recent years, and we must congratulate Nintendo on their latest achievement; after all, a strong Nintendo is obviously a very good thing when you're running a Nintendo-centric website.
It's not all praise for Nintendo, though; people that don't know us often mistake us for blind fanboys, which couldn't be further from the truth. It would be fair to say that we're no closer to understanding the strategy or machinations of Nintendo than we were five years ago. The company continues to make bizarre choices on a regular basis, and because of that, we'll continue to question them. The phrase "because Nintendo" is very much alive, despite the Switch being an overwhelming success. Hopefully, those of you who have been with us through thick and thin appreciate the editorial balance we strike on this site.
It certainly keeps things interesting for readers, and we've simply never had more things to talk about – even during the heady days of the Wii and DS (total combined sales: over 250 million), there didn't seem to be as much going on in the world of Nintendo as there is now. The eShop has new releases overflowing on a weekly basis – a potential problem itself – meaning we have to pick and choose which games to review; our previous mandate to cover every single digital release (an easy objective to maintain during the desperate days of the 3DS and Wii U) has sadly had to fall by the wayside.
For consumers, the industry is providing an amazing number of games at the moment and we're on the eve of a new generation of consoles, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (and Series S) launching this month. Nintendo is yet to reveal its hardware plans for this coming decade, but the smart money is on an evolution of Switch and no more "Revolutions" like we saw back in 2006.
Anyway, that's more than enough waffling; let's dive right into the "thank you" messages.
Thank you, thank you, thank you
The site (and YouTube channel) wouldn't exist without you, the reader. Whether you visit every hour of every day (we know who you are) or once a month, whether you first visited in 2005 or today, I'd like to say a huge thank you.
Next is a thank you to our hard-working and dedicated staff members, Ryan, Gavin, Liam along with Alex, Zion and Jon on YouTube and Darren and Damien, my fellow Directors. Their collective effort in recent years has been an honour to work alongside, and I look forward to many more still to come.
Thanks also to our current pool of regular contributors including, Mitch Vogel, Alan Lopez, Gonçalo Lopes, Chris Scullion, Austin Voigt, PJ O'Reilly, Stuart Gipp, Ollie Reynolds, Henry Stockdale, Kate Gray, Matthew Castle, Jon Mundy, Robert Sephazon and Pete Davison.
I also have to thank the authors on other websites that cover and link to our content appropriately — hat-tip — and those that share our articles across social media.
Behind the scenes, there are just as many people who help make things happen. Thank you to our partners at Gamer Network, in particular Simon Maxwell, Jon Hicks, Dan Robinson and his wonderful sales team Alistair Pardoe, Nadine Alden, Callum Johnson, Julia Cohick and Matt Butlin. Special thanks also to Richard Badley, Craig Munro and Mark Kennedy for their technical support. Finally, an extra special thanks has to go to the one and only Rupert Loman, the former CEO of Gamer Network, who believed in us all the way back in 2011 and has been an integral part of our growth over the years.
Thanks also to Kornel and Andrew at 44bytes for providing us with some excellent infrastructure, and Andrew Bowler at Loughborough University, who oversaw our move to a proper, dedicated office space last year.
We should also thank Nintendo itself, and the many, many staff we've had contact with over the years who have helped us do cool things like have our own page on the 3DS eShop, run a stand at EGX and have access to the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles Martinet.
Last but not least are all the developers and publishers of the games we cover. Thank you for creating your games and helping us bring them to the attention of as many people as possible. We appreciate your support, and we hope the positive reviews we've published have done your work justice (and the negative ones have spurred you on to greater heights).
Looking to the future
The last five years have been great – for many different reasons – and we're looking forward to the next five. We're going to continue to develop the site and expand our team to cover as much of the world of Nintendo as we can, alongside our sister websites Push Square, Pure Xbox and Stadia Life (yes, the last one was a joke. Or was it?).
It's clear that the world is having a difficult time right now, for various reasons, which means we aren't able to celebrate this birthday in quite the way I had envisioned. Everyone is having to adapt in different ways, ourselves included.
Something we get asked for on a regular basis is "Where can I buy a Nintendo Life t-shirt?", probably because they are expertly modelled by Alex, Zion and Jon across their videos.
Aside from trying to make some T-Shirts, we've got bunch of other things that we're looking to do in the years ahead, but for now, we'd better get back to reporting the latest Nintendo news; no doubt Nintendo has shadow-dropped another Direct during the time I've written this.
What are your memories of turning 15? Are you 15? (Wow, that makes us feel old.) When did you first visit Nintendo Life? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments 146
Happy Birthday, Nintendolife ! 😀
I am 36 years old now.
Still keep following the upcoming Nintendo games information.
Happy Birthday to the NintendoSegaLife yay
Happy Birthday, here's to many more years!
Congrats, it's by far the best website for Nintendo news!
Thank you for all the news and coverage you have brought over the last 15 years
Happy birthday guys!! Great job so far!!
Congrats- you’re a great website, here’s to checking in every day for another 15 years!!
Thank you guys for everything you do. Without this site and its coverage I'd probably be lost with the amount of content there is. You guys do so much for the community and I'm grateful that I can see new things every day in a way that's not possible in a magazine. Keep doing what your doing and I'll keep coming back.. here's to another 5 years!
Congratulations Nintendo Life! It's been great seeing the site itself and the YouTube channel continue to grow in recent years and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to help you out a bit as a moderator! I can't wait to watch the site continue to grow!
Congrats! This is pretty much the only video game site i frequent so here's to the next 15 years of being Nintendo nerds.
Happy 15th birthday, Nintendo Life! Congratulations on your lovely work! Keep feeding us with a lot of interesting (and eventually funny) content!
I think the first article on the website I read was at the beginning of last year (the ranking of Pokémon games, which I strongly agreed with). Months ago I went back to "bumping into" Nintendo Life when looking for strategy game recommendations for Switch. I liked it so much that I continued reading the articles, and when I saw it I had already made a profile and was browsing NL on a daily basis.
Happy Birthday, NintendoLife!
Massive thanks to the team for all they do, and for granting me the unique honour of contributing reviews; I'm thrilled to be a small part of your history.
May you never go through another Wii U era. This is my main/only website for daily Nintendo news, so don't you dare stop being great!
Happy birthday! Always appreciate how fast and simple this site is to get around which is why it's my go to Nintendo site of choice. So many game sites are a chuggy mess these days, especially on mobile.
Happy Birthday you lovely people
Been a reader for over 8 years now.
You really need a "Hello You Lovely People" T-Shirt and other merchandise.
Keep up the good work.
Happy Birthday NLife. Thank you for all the 'Nintendo related content' (tm) and overall enthusiasm for the hobby in general.
Congratulations to all involved. The last 15 years have been tough for many in the publishing sector so it's great to see you flourishing.
Oooww i miss streetpass
Happy Birthday, here's to many more years!
Happy b-day to you!
Mazel tov to ant and the crew!! 🎉 .(And thanks for the link to the first article as I always get my history confused coming over from vc-reviews 12 1/2 years ago.)
So, does this mean NL is old enough to drink now? 🍻
Love the dog he's a good boy
Congratulations Nintendo life.
Thank you
Happy birthday!!! Thanks for always being amazing!
I started visiting this site way back when I was playing Okami on the Wii, hence my user picture, and that was way back in 2013 and I have been here ever since! Happy Birthday to my favorite Nintendo news site!
Finally something good during 2020!
Happy birthday, NL, and may there be many more.
Nice one, guys. Happy birthday! Definitely the best place for Nintendo news. I started coming here during the 3DS and Wii U era, and loved your reviews around that time, so I stuck around.
15 years? Really? Wow. That is impressive! Congratulations
and thank you for all the hard work.
The best site for Nintendo news on the internet. Especially after the decline and cessation of the Nintendo specific magazine media.
Congrats guys!
Keep up the great work!!
Happy Birthday! I've been a reader here for years, most of them I read without an account. I've always had ad block off for this site to help support it because y'all provide a valuable service. Here's wishing you many more years to come and even greater success in the future!
Congrats! Really good news!
NL foreva!
Happy Birthday! It was reviews for Wii Virtual Console games that led me to this site. It’s been my main source of news ever since. More so when ONM was no longer published.
Happy birthday!
Merry Christmas Nintendolife!
Happy B-day for my favorite Nintendo news site!
Also, I'm a simple man, I see dual wielding Super Scopes and I hit the like button
Well @antdickens it’s just phenomenal to see how much the site has changed since the first days. (You’ve even changed your username!)
I remember when the site had a handful of reviews and I’m pretty sure @reinstall and I both reviewed Starfox Adventures. When we got the first ever review copies of games that was one of the coolest moments. Then when I got to go and play Rabbids at the Nintendo flats (nostalgic link: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2007/11/rayman_raving_rabbids_2_community_event). And when Wikipedia editors stoped editing us out of articles that’s when I knew it had made it.
Made friends with and met some truly great people through the site. Such a blast to be part of it!
It’s awesome to see NL continue to thrive. And amazing that we’re actually all still in touch from the grandfather GC-UK site and IRC channel from 2002(?) where my NLife journey took the first steps. @visor still fuels and encourages my constant purchasing of Nintendo games!
Will always be my most clicked site — thanks for the 15 years, bossman! Shame it couldn’t be celebrated in a bit more style! (My vote for the post-lockdown party: karaoke live-streamed on the YouTube channel )
Why can't I buy a NINTENDO LIFE mug?
And, er, Happy Birthday! Many Happy returns! 🎉🎂🍰💐
And please sell mugs. It's important. Really. ☕🫖☕🫖
Happy Birthday! First found the sight in early 2017 right before the switch launched and practically check it hourly ever since.
Happy B'day NLife and thanks for the many years of news and reviews.
Once ONM in Australia stopped back in Dec'13 you became the go to place for Nintendo content. Cheers, and here's to 15 more years.
Happy Birthday. 3 more years and you can celebrate with a legal Cheeky Vimto. Nice StadiaLife website too! 😂
Happy 15th Birthday Nintendo Life!
I’ve been checking the site daily since fairly early in the Wii U days, and very happy to do so. You’re a very classy group of people that has attracted a very classy community, where even a non-social media user like me is glad to participate in this hobby we love.
Gratefully wishing you many more years of success!! ❤️
Congrats on fifteen years, here is to another fifteen.
3 more years and we can have sex
Happy birthday gang well done x x x x
I've been coming here consistently since 2016, the site helped me decide what games to pick up on the Wii U, convinced be to get a 3DS and was integral in picking out awesome games when the Switch launched. Only created an account sometime later but have loved being a part of the community and I check on this site multiple times a day now. I even made a small game news website myself with content from all 4 players (PS, Xbox, Nintendo and Stadia) as a sort of hobby, but it's a lot of work so it may not stay around much longer since I have added Pure Xbox and Push Square to my reading list haha. Keep up the great work!
This site is certainly not without its flaws (influenced by fanship and tabloidism alike), but you guys also deserve your share of credit on the reporting front - and my thanks for all the legitimate news/features/interviews I've read here. Happy anniversary!
Slow news day?
Happy birthday <3 <3 <3
You folks been here since 2005? News to me.
Any posters here who've been here since the beginning? I only started following the site round about the time I was contemplating getting a Wii U...
Can't believe I've been a reader for almost exactly half of those years now.
I think it’s testament to everything you all have done that you’re the first place I check for game news every day.
Happy Birthday! Keep up the great and informative work!
Happy birthday!! I visit the site everyday since 2010. Thank you for your passion and hard work.
Congratulations to all team members that make this proyect a reality!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks to all the people at NintendoLife for their hard work. Have been here since the late Wii days, it was a natural follow on from when the Official Nintendo Magazine stopped being published. Guess you can keep on fuelling my addiction to video games.
Congrats! I came over from Virtual Console Reviews and remember the changeover to WiiWare World. I don't think I paid much attention to NintendoLife before then. Not until they all sort of merged/redirected/improved.
I can share that detail only because my NintendoLife buddy @rjejr pointed out the first-article link in the article — thanks! The specifics are getting harder to dig out of my brain now, but I do distinctly remember reading that 10-year anniversary article and it temporarily clearing out the cobwebs back then, too. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/11/site_news_nintendo_life_turns_10_today
I just want to call out the long-timers from the article comments (I only rarely took dips into the forums), as there were some strong opinions about Nintendo over the years and strong personalities to go with them. However, the conversations here have remained mostly civil and respectful, overall — yes, the exceptions do stand out in my memory, too. It has been a great community where one can actually share some nuanced discussions and not get drowned out by reactionary outbursts and I hope that continues. Cheers, all!
The place I get my Nintendo news. Happy 15th birthday.
Happy birthday NL! I've been visiting this site since...I think sometime in late 2010/early 2011? I found it while poking around for 3DS eShop reviews (I don't believe most sites were doing them) and Skyward Sword news. What began as occasional visits turned into multiple visits daily. XD
Now that I feel old....
Congratulations Nintendo Life! I don't know how long I've tuned into you guys now exactly, but I know I've been here at least since the DS and Wii days roughly. I appreciate what you guys do and I look forward to the future. Thank you!
Happy birthday to my newly adopted home. Very proud to be writing for you lot.
Happy Birthday, NintendoLife! I discovered you guys a few years ago (2013, I think?), and I've been following your site ever since.
And in all honesty, I would love to work for you guys, plus I have extensive experience with writing, given my educational background in English. Shoot me a message?
"Thank you, thank you, thank you"
https://ibb.co/L8k5MPh
It has been an awesome year on this website, and I can't wait for the next one
EDIT: How can I upload an image?
Congrats! Here’s to five more years!
Woop woop! Have the happiest of birthdays!
I remember fondly the early days with James...back when it was called SegaLife
Awesome congrats guys!
And... why don’t you release a Nintendolife coffee mug? Day one purchase for me
I've been following this site for nearly two years now, it's been great! Keep up the good work guys, and happy birthday NL!
I've been here a little over 10 years now. I think I've visited every single day in the past 10 years (usually several times per day 😄).
Happy Birthday, NL! I started reading your articles frequently about 6 years ago and check by almost daily since 😉
nintendolife lives at the top of my bookmarks for good reason. Happy birthday!<3333
Happy birthday Nintendo Life! Thanks for the great articles, guides, reviews, and the awesome community here. This is my favorite site for Nintendo news, and while there are others out there, no other site really comes remotely close. Thanks again, and here's to the next 5 (or 15, or 50 lol) years of sweet sweet NL goodness. 😁
Here’s to 15 more!
Been part of my morning routine every day for years checking this site to see the latest news. Very thankful for you guy’s updates throughout the year, definitely my favorite website and will continue to be for many years! Thank you to everyone apart of the staff!! ^.^
Happy Birthday! - enjoy the site very much - too much even
Congratulations, NL, I wish your staff many more years of success! I haven't been a regular poster in many years, but I've been floating around since the early VC-Reviews days, crazy that it's been that long.
Congratulations everyone! Here's to many more years (also hi @Nanaki, long time no see!)
Congrats NL, keep up the good work! Bought a shirt to celebrate, I've wanted one for years!
Happy Fifteenth Anniversary Nintendo Life!
Can't belive its 15 Years, I've been visting this site almost daily since the WiiWare World/VC Reviews days. Keep up the good work.
I came here from WiiWare World. Glad you all are still at it!
Congrats! You guys are my go to source for news!!!
Happy Birthday Nintendolife!! I stumbled across your existence around the release of the switch (I'm from Germany btw.) and am hooked since then. The good articles, the very nice team, very well produced vids (special thanks to Alex) and a splendid community are the reason that I visit you multiple times a day since then! Thank you so much for the hard work and stay as you are! All the best from Germany!
Happy 15th NL! Here's to 20 and beyond!
(Nice try on the Stadia Life link, but you didn't fool me. I know the rules to this game, and so do I.)
Happy Birthday!!
@Sinton yepp!
Happy Birthday
Congratulations NL!!!
As much as this place has changed over the years for better and for worst this is still my go to site for Nintendo News. Here's to many more years!!!
Happy anniversary! Is Dom no longer working with you?
HAPPPY berthday nintendo life I come to your site every single day and sometimes every hour thanks nintendo life for making this the best year at nintendolife, And to all of you I have some names, Eel mariolover 1 up mario hot goomba anti matter and very many more Thank you.
Happy Birthday! Keep up the fantastic work!
Happy birthday!
Here's to 15 more! I remember first discovering this site when I was in middle school and this was the only place that had a review for the Electroplankton Lumiloop DSiWare game! In all the best ways, it feels like the site hasn't changed all that much since then.
Of course, now I write for the site, and it's a great honor! Y'all are a wonderful community and I enjoy interacting with you each day.
I turn 14 in december. So, me and a website are close in age. How fuffiling
Best nintendo site out there! Happy birthday and may many more fun years lay ahead
I like how they showed a doggy as the front cover!
@TheSmashTheorist Happy Birthday
15 years you say? I only started using the internet 12 years ago so that’s interesting
@Mr_Persona wait its not bday. My birthday is next month
Happy Birthday Guys!! Keep up the awesome work!
Happy birthday! NL is a great place for news and community! Thanks for the site and contributions!
I still remember the transition from VC Reviews to Nintendo Life, and I think NL has been my homepage ever since: though middle school, high school, undergrad, graduate school, and now into my adult life. Love you guys!
Congratulations! Your site is a great source of joy
Happy birthday!!!
Hey, happy birthday Nintendo Life. Thanks for everything you do, been reading this site for a very long time.
See you all for your Silver Anniversary.
Thanks for Rick Rolling me
Give more NL coverage but don't give shovelware reviews for 2021.
Congratulations and many happy returns
I came to this site to read VC reviews and just never left.
@TheSmashTheorist I know but it's an early Birthday call out!
My birthday is next month too actually. Like you, we both got birthdays coming up!
Wow, 15 years is mad. I’ve been here throughout my teenage years and now into my early 20s which is somewhat terrifying. Now for 5 more!
I remember when I only knew Virtual Console Reviews way back when. I don't check as often as I used to back then, but I do still come by. And I absolutely wonder where the staff from back then moved on to. Happy 15 years NintendoLife!
Happy 15th Anniversary, Nintendo Life. I hope that you have many more years to come. I hope you and the community never change, or if you do change, that it would it be for the better (though I'm not sure how NL can improve, when they're pretty awesome as is).
Happy Birthday and thanks for a ton of great reads over the years 🥳😊⭐️
@aaronsullivan VICTORY!!!! Sorry, I'm drunk now, that's all I got. 🤣
I’ve written for a lot of outlets, and this is by FAR the one most dedicated to Nintendo.
Wait...This is a company? Like, with payroll software and lunchrooms and empty paper towel dispensers in the bathroom? I thought it was just Alex sort of hanging out. WEIRD!!!
Here's to another 15 years. Happy Birthday guys! You're one of the best Nintendo sites around.
Congrats, guys! Cheers from Russia!
I remember reading up on some Wii games when I first bought my Wii in early 2009. And then coming back to the WiiWare review website I liked pretty much, only to find out it had merged with some other websites. Been here ever since, almost every day. Rarely in the forums, but always in the comments section. It has become pretty tough not to get lost in the amount of comments, though. Maybe it's time you made nested comments a thing here on NL!
Like others in the comments, I would love a retrospective article. I wonder what Corby (aka 7/10) is doing, as well as that guy who moved to work at Nintendo (sorry, can't remember his name) and other former writers.
Happy birthday Nintendolife! I visit this site since the Wiiware days. You where the only site that reviewed all the Wiiware games. Sadly you guys don't review all Switch games but I understand: That would be impossible! Anyway, here's to another 15 years (and keep Alex. I may not always agree with him, many times I disagree. But his video's are always good for a good laugh!).
Thank you Nintendo Life for all the informative reviews/news that helps keep me up to date with the passion I have had for such a long time. My first memory of Nintendo Life was back when I was struggling to find a community of people who simply loved video games, and didn't feel the need to spread hatred based on differing opinions. I found that, and alot more here! Here's to many more good years!
Happy birthday, Nintendo Life! Y’all are the best. It may just be social media, but I see a lot of people taking the extreme ends of Nintendo fandom and hatedom, so NL’s perspective is incredibly refreshing. You’re honest in your reviews, you’re fair about both the positives and the negatives, and you’re willing to look back and dip into some nostalgia without letting rose-colored glasses override everything. Here’s to another 15 years more of the best Nintendo news site!
Congrats guys. I love your site and it helps me keep informed and excited for Nintendo. I visit every day.
That explains why all the articles on the site look like they were written by a 15-year-old!
Just kidding! Good work!
Dammit, I got rickrolled
I started reading Nintendolife a year ago or something like that, so can't say I am a longtime reader. But since that time, it has become one of the sites I most frequently visit to read about Switch and other Nintendo-related news. Thank you for everything you do, and keep up the good work!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Nintendo Life!
I have been here for a few years and really appreciate the news, reporting, reviews and general good humor on this site.
I wish you all well!
@Anti-Matter Hey now you have a like on your post for each of your years old!
Really wish you had put a volume warning on that Stadia Life link, @antdickens. The look my wife just gave me cannot be adequately described.
Happy birthday!
I have been following you since you were a Virtual Console-only site. And I'll keep following you for the next 5 years at least.
Congratualions!
Happy birthday 🎂
Sorry I think I'm a bit late 😅
Happy Birthday!!!
Thank you for being there to give me nintendo news in a way other sites just seem to get wrong. This is why nintendolife (and serebii) is the only site I use for gaming and has been for over 10 years.
Please keep up the great work, thank you
@pinta_vodki You're thinking of James Newton.
You're a great site, I haven't been here long, but this place has been a wonderful resource for me, gently guiding my hand in the Nintendo world, putting me onto wonderful experiences I might have otherwise passed on.
@rjejr Haha. Cheers!
It me! Happy birthday, NLife, thanks for all the memories
@aaronsullivan Note to self, 55 is too old to get drunk, hangover lasts an entire day. Well hangover coupled exhaustion. Is it January 20th yet?
I've been on Nintendo Life for so many years. Thank you guys for all of the hard work!
Belated congratulations to a wonderful site that has created a lovely community of readers. You guys are one of the first places I check every morning. Thanks so much, NL — and here's to the next fifteen years (and beyond)!
Congrats on 15 years! My favorite site! Love you guys!
Congrats also I love that dog so cute awesome!!!!
been here since 2010.
sun 21st feb 2010 to be exact
best game site ever.
Glad to see this site doing well still. I was on this site daily from around 2009 to 2014-ish. Still remember being confused when I couldn't find VC Reviews or WiiWareWorld anymore. Took me a few before I realized those sites were rolled into this one lol.
I don't go on the website anymore, but I am subscribed to the Youtube channel!
Congratulations on celebrating your fifteen-year anniversary this year, Nintendo Life!
Like many people have said above, I really love this site, because Nintendo Life has such an excellent team, from the editors, to the writers and the video staff.
Everyone involved is great, which has resulted in many years of awesome content.
Cheers to you all, hats off to the management team, and all the best for a fantastic 2021 to the site!
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