Nintendo · 1988 · Nintendo Entertainment System
"The Power Source for Nintendo Players"
Nintendo launched its own subscriber magazine in 1988, transforming tips, codes, and previews from a phone-line service into a monthly publication that functioned simultaneously as marketing and customer retention.
Nintendo Power launched in July 1988 as a replacement for Nintendo Fun Club News, offering a free issue to Fun Club members and then transitioning to a paid subscription. At its peak the magazine reached over 3 million subscribers — making it one of the highest-circulation gaming publications in the United States — and provided Nintendo with a direct monthly communication channel to its most engaged customers. Because Nintendo controlled editorial content entirely, Nintendo Power functioned as both a genuine strategy resource and a sustained advertisement for Nintendo's first-party titles, often providing exclusive coverage months before competitors. The magazine also established the format of guided walkthroughs and numbered tips that shaped how an entire generation learned to play games.