Putting Smiles on the Faces of Everyone Nintendo Touches
Consumers
Working to create products that can be enjoyed with peace of mind.
To provide all of our consumers with safe and enjoyable gaming experiences, we strive to continually create even higher quality products by learning from their feedback.
Consumer Peace of Mind (Gaming Systems and Accessories)
In order to provide high-quality products that are both safe and entertaining so consumers can enjoy them with peace of mind, Nintendo engages in a wide range of initiatives in development, production, and after-sales service for our gaming systems and accessories.
Product Safety Principle
Safety and reliability are important factors in creating high-quality products
Quality Principle
Provide high-quality products that meet consumer expectations
Initiatives to Provide High-quality Products
Development
Nintendo has put in place a framework to support our developers in designing high-quality products so that our consumers can enjoy them with peace of mind for a long time. As one part of this framework, we have created internal standards for safe and durable design that draw on knowledge amassed during past product development, and we adhere to those principles during the design stage. We also bring together experienced employees with specialized knowledge from both inside and outside of our development divisions to identify any quality or safety concerns unique to the product and modify designs as necessary. Through these efforts, we work to ensure that our products always remain safe to use.
We also conduct product quality tests using prototypes, such as to confirm durability.
Keystroke test to check button durabilityDrop test to check durability of each part when falling from a set height
Before the start of production, products must pass a review by the Design Safety Review Committee, which is made up of members appointed from multiple departments. The committee evaluates at the design stage whether product safety has been achieved from a perspective separate from that of the development divisions.
Production
Nintendo has also established a framework to enable the stable mass production of products that satisfy the safety requirements and specifications designated by our designs.
Our manufacturing division sets specifications for various processes including assembly and validation and oversees production. This team also conducts inspections of the products before shipment to ensure that they have been manufactured as intended.
Nintendo employs a fabless production model for our main products, including gaming systems and accessories, which means that we do not own the facilities that manufacture those products. To consistently produce safe, high-quality products, we communicate closely with our many production partners around the world and work to ensure mutual understanding.
In addition to these efforts, we have created a traceability system that can track production logs and quality levels for our main products so that we can identify the scope of impact in the event of safety-related concerns.
After-Sales Services
Nintendo strives to improve the safety and quality of our products by leveraging the information we obtain from the marketplace.
More specifically, departments responsible for repairs and other consumer support services gather information about safety and quality. These divisions also aggregate and analyze data related to repair requests received from our consumers. The information and corresponding analysis results are provided as appropriate to the development, manufacturing and other relevant departments. These departments then utilize the feedback in reviews of designs or production processes when necessary.
Please also see the section about after-sales services below.
Nintendo has established the Product Safety Committee chaired by the Senior General Manager of the General Affairs Division, who also serves as an Executive Officer of Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan). The heads of the development and manufacturing divisions participate in the committee, along with those from various other divisions. The Product Safety Committee formulates and raises awareness about our product safety principles and policies while also working to operate, maintain and improve the product safety framework.
Sharing Information about Product Safety and Defects
We provide notifications about product safety on our websites and through other contact points and strive to ensure that our consumers are aware of this information.
In the event a safety-related issue occurs, we immediately investigate the situation and then quickly provide accurate information to our consumers.
Guide for Safe Use
Users of the Nintendo Switch family of systems (Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch – OLED Model and Nintendo Switch Lite) can access “Health and Safety Information and Usage Guidelines” from the System Settings menu. It summarizes information for safely using the gaming systems, which can also be viewed online.
“Health and Safety Information and Usage Guidelines”
Internal Education
Nintendo offers training sessions on product safety as necessary to make sure our employees are well aware of product safety. We have also built an internal webpage that gathers the past experiences and knowledge of developers in one place that all employees of Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) can access.
Consumer Peace of Mind (Game Software and Services)
To ensure that consumers of all ages can enjoy our game software and services with peace of mind, Nintendo strives to prioritize safety in game software development, create features that enable parents and guardians to check children’s usage, and eliminate inappropriate content in communication features, among other initiatives.
Safety-Oriented Game Software Development
Nintendo continually offers a variety of ways to play through our game software and other services, such as using different parts of the body to control the gaming system. To ensure a safe and fun gaming experience, we have created guidelines from both a hardware and software perspective that outline standards and considerations to be adhered to during development. The guidelines are updated and revised as appropriate and distributed among the related departments.
Based on these guidelines, we have created a framework that involves multiple departments checking the safety of our game software from the product development stage.
Displaying Age Ratings for Game Software
Before playing a game, it can be difficult to know exactly what kind of content the game includes. To help provide this information, Nintendo includes appropriate age classifications on, for example, product packaging and in Nintendo eShop according to relevant laws and the rating system*1 used in each country or region to provide information on the types of content included in the games.
*1 Rating system
Rating systems assign and display an age rating for each game according to its content.
Please see the following links for details about rating systems in different countries:
Nintendo has integrated parental controls into its gaming systems, including Nintendo Switch. With this feature, it is possible to control the game software that can be played by children on the system based on the rating, and restrict free communication with other users, purchase of games in Nintendo eShop and use of other functions.
With Nintendo Switch, by linking to the free Nintendo Switch Parental Controls application for mobile devices, parents and guardians can also verify the software and the number of hours played, as well as configure how many hours can be played daily. Parents and guardians can even use Nintendo Switch Parental Controls to restrict purchases and browsing in Nintendo eShop.
Progress towards raising awareness for parental controls:
Ran a TV commercial to raise awareness for the feature
Posted a comic strip (Japanese) on our support page about Nintendo Switch Parental Controls to make it easier to learn how to use the feature
Participated in a project to teach parents and guardians how to use parental controls at a gaming event and a forum on improving young people’s internet literacy
Partnered with governmental and trade organizations to produce leaflets and other materials for raising public awareness about the proper use of the internet and related features on smartphones and other electronic devices
Offers a dedicated section of its website for parents and guardians, which includes tips on how to set Nintendo Accounts for children, how to use parental controls, gaming safely online and other useful insights
Offers a dedicated section of its website for parents and guardians, which includes information and tips on parental controls, age ratings for game software, safe gaming and more
Received recognition in Germany for Nintendo Switch Parental Controls as an official youth protection program, certified by USK (Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle)*2
Supported the Europe-wide “Seize the Controls” campaign to raise public awareness of parental controls and PEGI age ratings, and to educate families about responsible gameplay
*2 USK (Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle)
A self-regulatory entity responsible for game software classification in Germany. Nintendo of Europe (Germany) voluntarily allows the USK to examine all of its online services for legal compliance with the German regulations on youth protection.
Eliminating Inappropriate Content in Communication Features
Some Nintendo game software allows players to share content they create, such as images and messages (UGC: user-generated content) with other players via communication features. While the ways and extent to which players can express themselves when communicating have increased, sometimes inappropriate content created by some players can get mixed in, causing other players to feel uncomfortable.
To help eliminate unsuitable content, some of our game titles that support player interaction and content sharing over the internet promote awareness through in-game reminders. These games have also introduced features that include inappropriate word filters and in-game reporting tools that players can use if they find unsuitable content. If reported UGC is determined to be problematic, we may take measures including removal of that content and suspension of online features for the player who made the inappropriate post. We also update inappropriate word filters as necessary.
In addition, we believe it is very important to uphold a safe, healthy online play environment through collaborative efforts with all players. The rules in our Terms of Service outline our behavioral expectations, which are also reflected in the Community Guidelines issued by some of our regional subsidiaries. Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) has included a section on its support website called “Working Together to Keep Online Play Fun” (Japanese) for our consumers.
Making Things Easier to Understand and Use
Nintendo strives to provide products and services that anyone can easily enjoy.
Making Things Intuitive
For players to comfortably immerse themselves within the world of a game, it must be easy to understand. We utilize various methods, such as simplifying controls, so that players can intuitively figure out how to play.
Easy-to-Use Designs and Features for Everyone
We also work hard on the aspects of design and features, so that various consumers can enjoy our games in their own way. We share user feedback with our development departments and strive to incorporate these ideas as much as possible into our new products.
Examples on Nintendo Switch
You can zoom in on the screen by quickly pressing the HOME button twice on Nintendo Switch*1. Pressing the X button while zoomed in will further enlarge the screen. While in handheld mode, you can also quickly press the HOME button twice and then pinch out on the screen (touch the screen with two fingers and spread them apart) to enlarge it.
There are also features that allow you to remap buttons on the controller.
*1
The Zoom feature is turned off in the default settings and must be enabled before use.
A feature called “Smart Steering” can be used in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a game on Nintendo Switch. This optional feature provides automatic steering assistance so that your kart will not stray off the course during a race. In ways like this, we work so that various consumers, including those without much previous gaming experience, can enjoy our game software.
Consumer Support
We care about each and every one of our consumers, and have put various consumer service contact points in place to respond to the wide range of inquiries and requests we receive from them. We have also established a framework that enables relevant departments within the company to share feedback from our consumers, which we value and apply in our daily work.
Consumer Support Systems
In Japan, in addition to setting up call centers to help answer different types of questions, Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) also offers email support for inquiries and receives feedback through a dedicated online portal. We have additional systems for sharing consumer feedback with relevant internal departments to improve the development of new products and enhance our services. Since encouragement from our consumers also helps to boost employee motivation, we share words of gratitude and encouragement from our consumers within the company in the form of thank-you messages.
We also have set up similar consumer service centers in locations outside Japan, where we provide support in local languages.
In addition, we post information about our products and services to the support websites in each country and region to assist our consumers in resolving issues. Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) has also been relaying support information through the official Nintendo Support X account (Japanese).
Framework for Responding to Consumer Comments (Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan))
Consumer Privacy
Nintendo respects the privacy of our consumers, and we consider it our vital responsibility to protect their information with great care.
Protecting Our Consumers' Important Information
The information provided by our consumers largely consists of personal information obtained in the provision of account services and consumer contact details when carrying out product repairs. We always clearly specify how we will use consumer information, such as in our privacy policy, and strictly handle this information in adherence with internal regulations. In addition, we revise and enhance our internal structure in compliance with the laws and standards related to the handling of information. We have also established service centers to handle consumer inquiries.
