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.
Product Quality and Safety
Nintendo aims to offer high-quality products that consumers can enjoy with peace of mind. Product safety and reliability are our key objectives.
Product Safety Principle
Safety and reliability are important factors in creating high-quality products
Quality Principle
Provide high-quality products that meet consumer expectations
Establishment of Safety Standards
Because the people who use Nintendo's video game systems and accessories are of all ages, creating our products involves establishing unique design safety standards that comprehensively consider regulations, such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act*1, as well as the safety requirements for general electronic products.
*1 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
A U.S. law that restricts the use of phthalate esters in products and the use of lead on a product's surface.
Framework for Product Safety Assurance
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) established the Product Safety Committee (chaired by the Senior General Manager of the General Affairs Division, who also serves as an Executive Officer), under the direct supervision of the Executive Management Committee, to ensure that employees thoroughly understand the Product Safety and Quality Principles. The Product Safety Committee ensures the safety of our products at every stage, from development all the way through production, sales and after-sales service. The committee works continuously to effectively manage, maintain and improve our initiatives.
Product Safety Design
The development divisions conduct product development in accordance with the Design Safety Rules* to ensure safety from the design stage. In some cases, the Design Safety Review Committee, which consists of employees from several divisions (such as Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance and Legal Affairs) also assesses products for safety with the goal of incorporating diverse perspectives into the verification process. The Design Safety Review Committee is run by a committee chair appointed by the Senior General Manager of the Technology Development Division, who also serves as a Director.
Before production begins, we use prototypes to conduct assessments that include the risk of fire, electric shock, and injury; susceptibility to breakage if dropped; compliance with laws and regulations such as the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Radio Act; resistance of the product to fire; and the content level of harmful chemical substances. We have implemented a broad range of devices at our facilities for use in these tests. Along with ensuring compliance with required standards, we also ask external testing organizations to certify product compliance as needed.
* Design Safety Rules - Main Items
Compulsory regulations
Confirm that products comply with all public safety regulations stipulated in laws and ordinances.
Safety specifications
To ensure an even higher level of safety, in addition to compulsory regulations, confirm that products comply with other applicable safety specifications.
Design safety standards
Confirm that voluntarily established internal design safety standards are observed according to compulsory regulations and safety specifications.
Labeling standards
Confirm that all required labels and notices (safety notices, etc.) are displayed appropriately.
Sharing Information About Safety and Quality
We provide notifications about product safety or bugs on the Nintendo website and other locations and strive to ensure that our consumers are aware of this information. When we become aware of quality issues, we immediately investigate the concern and then quickly provide 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 “Support/Health & Safety” instructions from the System Settings menu. It summarizes information for safely using the gaming systems, and it can also be viewed online.
“Support/Health & Safety” feature
Employee Training and Internal Educational Activities
Employee training and internal educational activities are essential for ensuring product quality and safety. To make sure our employees are well aware of the critical importance of ensuring the safety of our products, Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) provides product safety training and design safety lectures for hardware developers.
In addition, we aim to share know-how by creating guidelines that incorporate our knowledge and experience related to design and manufacturing. We also built and operate a portal site by which all employees at Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan), including those not directly involved in the creation process, can view this information at any time on the internal company network.
Game Software and Services That Can Be Enjoyed With Peace of Mind
To ensure that consumers 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 new ways to play through our game software and other services, such as using the entire body to control the gaming system or by using an online network. 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 the 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. In Japan, the CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) age-rating mark is displayed for game software that can be played on Nintendo gaming systems. Some Nintendo Switch download software may show an age rating assigned by IARC (International Age Rating Coalition). The age rating marks do not indicate game difficulty level.
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. For more information about Parental Controls, please refer to this page (Japanese).
Examples of our initiatives and progress towards raising awareness for and promoting usage of Parental Controls around the world:
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan)
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 forum for school supporters*2 and educators from various prefectures on how to appropriately use gaming systems 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
Nintendo of America
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
Nintendo of Europe (Germany)
Certified by Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK)*3 as a trustworthy content provider devoted to child and youth protection
*2 School supporters
Retired teachers or police officers who, under the school supporter program, take on the role of connecting schools and the police by being dispatched to local elementary and junior high schools to use their specialized knowledge and experience to support and give advice to teachers.
*3 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 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 can be enjoyed by various consumers around the world. Our staff in charge of game software development in each country collaborate globally to ensure that content can be easily understood and enjoyed by consumers across the globe.
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 three call centers to help answer different types of questions, we also offer email support for inquiries and receive 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.
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.
