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Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story - Episode Guide

Season 1

Play Your Cards Right

Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Mar 1, 2021 (71 min)

Play Your Cards Right

The birth of Nintendo begins in 19th-century Japan, when a young entrepreneur finds a way to sidestep local gambling laws. His scrappy family business holds fast through war, cultural revolution, and a run-in with Disney to bring the world a certain barrel-hurling ape.

A Trojan Horse

Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Mar 1, 2021 (68 min)

A Trojan Horse

The once-mighty U.S. gaming industry is reduced to a pile of rubble. But unbeknownst to the world, the "Donkey Kong Company" is quietly developing a machine that could revive gaming in a big way. But can they convince retail giants to buy back into a market they just escaped?

A Sleeping Giant

Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Mar 1, 2021 (57 min)

A Sleeping Giant

Somewhat shaken after a tussle with Sega, Nintendo confidently presses forward into the '90s. The invention of CD technology gives way to new gaming possibilities, but as Nintendo buys into this exciting new paradigm, they inadvertently create their own worst enemy.

Forward Motion

Episode: 1x04 | Airdate: Mar 1, 2021 (57 min)

Forward Motion

As PlayStation and Xbox wage war on the industry, Nintendo faces an identity crisis. Do they keep treading water with the diminishing returns of the GameCube? Or is it time for a hard left turn? A revolution is brewing.

Reset Button

Episode: 1x05 | Airdate: Mar 1, 2021 (42 min)

Reset Button

Plunging stock, natural disaster, a death in the family, and yet another failed console plague Nintendo. Not to mention a seismic industry shift led by Apple. Nintendo faces their most difficult decade since 1889, yet the Donkey Kong Company is never afraid to switch things up.

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