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Masayuki Uemura & the Famicom

This exhibition celebrates the life of legendary videogame engineer, Masayuki Uemura, shining a light on his creations and uncovering the hidden history of the Famicom and its significant influence within the industry.

The team at the NVM worked closely with researchers and curators at the Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies in Kyoto, Japan as well as with Masayuki Uemura who was the Head of Nintendo’s R&D2 department (Research and Development) and the creator of the Famicom system.

Join us on a journey of uncovering the history of one of Uemura-sensei’s greatest creations and the influence him and the console had on not only future consoles but controllers and videogames too!

Remembering Uemura-sensei

Remembering Uemura

Famicom

Nintendo Entertainment System

Innovative Controllers

Super Mario Bros. 2

Uemura’s Playlist

Why the Famicom Matters

The Nintendo Family Computer, or Famicom as it is often known, is one of the most important videogame consoles of all time. Released in Japan 1983, it went on to sell nearly 62 million units worldwide. When it was released outside Japan, the Famicom’s name was changed to Nintendo Entertainment System or NES.

Over the years, the Famicom played host to over 700 games and introduced countless players to some of the best-loved characters with the Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Castlevania and The Legend of Zelda series all debuting on the system.

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Nintendo Block Kuzushi

The Famicom wasn’t actually Nintendo’s first console.

Released in 1979, four years before the Famicom, The Block Kuzushi (or ‘Block Breaker’) was one of the first consoles made by Nintendo within their R&D2 department which was headed up by Masayuki Uemura.

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This project is supported by an ESRC research grant. Ref: ES/S013768/1