I början på 90-talet hostade den numera avlidne Nintendo-bossen Hiroshi Yamauchi upp en förmodligen ansenlig mängd stålar för att köpa det Seattle-baserade basebalaget Seattle Mariners och därmed förhindrade laget att tvingas flytta till en annan ord. Yamauchi ska själv inte ha brytt sig det minsta om sporten eller laget i fråga men genomförde köpet som en fin gest mot Nintendo of America-högkvarteret som är bosatt i området samt som en "tack" till den västerländska nationen för att det japanska spelhuset fick verka i landet. Nu, si-sådär, 26 år senare står det klart att Nintendo släpper majoriteten av lagets aktier då lagets nuvarande chef och tidigare NoA-bossen Howard Lincoln ska gå i pension. Ett uttalande från Nintendo gällande affären kan ni läsa här nedan:
"As many of you know, Nintendo of America Inc., which is headquartered in the Seattle area, was approached by local representatives in the early 1990s and invited to invest in the team, which was at risk of being moved away from the region. The late Hiroshi Yamauchi, at that time the president of Nintendo Co., Ltd., agreed to spend his own money to purchase the majority ownership of the team in order to show Nintendo's appreciation to the U.S. for helping Nintendo do business in the country, and to contribute to the local residents and area. He became the principal owner of the team in 1992.
Mr. Yamauchi passed away in 2013. Due consideration had been made before his death and his ownership had already been transferred to Nintendo of America in order to ensure the team would remain in the area. Then Mr. Satoru Iwata, who had been overseeing the team as the new president of Nintendo after Mr. Yamauchi, as well serving as the CEO of Nintendo of America, passed away last year. This sad occurrence, along with Mr. Lincoln's desire to relinquish day-to-day leadership for the team, prompted this decision."
Efter affären kommer Nintendo "enbart" inneha tio procent av aktieägandet i laget.
Tack Kotaku