According to Risk Monster, Nintendo is the richest company in Japan in 2020.
Nintendo reportedly has a net worth of 890.4 billion yen, or approximately $8.3 billion USD as of this year. The video game giant was named Japan's second richest company in 2019, but thanks to the massive success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the Nintendo Switch, they claimed the first place spot for 2020.
Trailing them in second place is the Shinetsu Chemical Industry at 813.0 billion yen (approx. $7.7 billion USD), and in third is the Sintered Metal Corporation (SMC) with 536.7 billion yen ($5.0 billion USD). The only other Japanese electronic entertainment company to make the top 20 list is Bandai Namco Holdings at 189.8 billion yen ($1.8 billion USD), landing it in 18th place.
Compared to other Japanese entertainment companies, Nintendo has been in the gaming business for a long time. What began as a playing card producer in 1889 has grown to become one of the most dominant consumer electronics companies in the world. The company isn't perfect by any means, but their longstanding success far outweighs their failures.
In fact, Nintendo is so well-liked in Japan, that the entryway for incoming flights at the Narita International Airport is festooned with Nintendo characters welcoming new arrivals to the country.
Some fans are concerned about Nintendo's future, though, as they continue to lag behind most major electronic entertainment companies in terms of online service and hardware. Plus, the company is typically reluctant to jump on industry trends, such as full HD adoption during the Wii era. They also chose to rely on proprietary mini CDs instead of standard, full-sized CDs during the Game Cube's time, which limited the scope of titles on their console.
However, the quality of the games Nintendo develops and publishes is rarely sub-par. That, and the success of the Nintendo Switch, indicates a positive direction for the company moving forward. The Wii and Wii U era, while not without their share of award-winning games, may be considered Nintendo's most recent "awkward phase," but as the company continues to innovate its console technology, it's likely to enjoy continued success for years to come.