Kit and Krysta, former Nintendo of America employees, explained that the “Nindies” branding was discontinued because Nintendo is very protective of its main brand identity. Now, independent games are highlighted through Indie World presentations instead.
Around the late 2010s, “Nindie Showcases” helped introduce games like My Friend Pedro and Yooka-Laylee as they launched on the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo playfully combined “Nintendo” and “indie” to create the “Nindie” brand for these independent games. While the branding was creative and well-received, it eventually caused legal concerns within Nintendo.
Nintendo Doesn’t Want Any Part Of Its Name Being Used To Create A New Word
So, I was listening to Kit and Krysta’s podcast, and they dropped some interesting news. Apparently, Nintendo’s own team came up with a cool new term, and they were really excited about it. But then they were told they couldn’t actually use it! Nintendo’s legal team stepped in and said they can’t mess with the Nintendo name at all, because it could weaken their brand protection and mess with their intellectual property. Basically, they have to be super careful with how they use their own name!
Krysta explained that combining the Nintendo name with another word weakens the brand, which could cause legal problems down the line. According to their legal team, it’s not possible to do that and maintain brand protection.
Someone from Nintendo’s Product Development Resources team reportedly attempted to challenge the requirement, but their effort was unsuccessful.
There you have it, you can’t fight City Hall. Unless you’re Rocko Wallaby, that is.
We’re curious about your experience with indie games on the Nintendo Switch! Do you prefer playing them on Switch instead of on PC – whether it’s a handheld device or a desktop computer? And do you remember or miss the old “Nindie” label Nintendo used for these games? Share your thoughts on our Discord server, and be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more updates!
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2026-01-11 21:18