The first ever Nintendo Direct, hosted by the former president Satoru Iwata (2011)
Image: via YouTube

Nintendo is obviously one of the pioneers of the games industry, and from time to time, it still comes up with groundbreaking ideas that change and shape how people consume and play video games around the world.

One of its more genius moments over the past decade (at least from a business/marketing perspective) was the creation of "Nintendo Directs" - special broadcasts that were able to take place at any time and on any date and were entirely focused on Nintendo's systems and the games coming to these platforms.

The idea has proven so successful in terms of how much hype it has the ability to build, other companies began replicating the idea - and it even led to some pulling out of busier and bigger events like E3 in hope of getting a little more attention, instead of getting lost in a sea of announcements.

So, why are we going on about this - because as we kind of already noted, this Thursday (aka tomorrow) marks a decade of Nintendo Direct presentations since the first edition aired in Japan and North America (this one was hosted by Reggie). Credit to the lovable @NintenDaan for highlighting this:

Daan also shared a quick history lesson about how Nintendo Directs came about in the first place:

"The day is September 13. Nintendo needed to showcase their dedication to 3DS. Instead of doing a Nintendo Conference, solely for investors and media, Satoru Iwata opened the door. On an Ustream page, the company showcased their software line-up and focused almost solely on games.

"The response in Japan was quite positive, which made Iwata rethink the approach of delivering info to consumers. Originally, they called a presser to deliver in additional 3DS info. In the first minute, the name changed to ''Nintendo Direct''. The name stuck around ever since."

Nintendo Directs have naturally evolved over time - and Nintendo now even hosts entire themed events. Just last week, for example, we obviously had the Animal Crossing: New Horizons one and even game director Masahiro Sakurai has embraced the concept with his very own Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentations - most recently he held his last one, focused on the reveal of Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series.

Can you believe we've been watching Directs for 10 years? Do you remember what your first Direct was? Leave a comment down below.

[source twitter.com]