SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Maker Faire, the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth, announced today that video game pioneer Nintendo has joined the upcoming Maker Faire Bay Area 2018 as the event’s presenting sponsor. In addition to serving as lead sponsor, Nintendo will create a dedicated area for attendees to Make, Play and Discover with the upcoming Nintendo Labo kits.
Blending the tactile experience of construction with the technology of the Nintendo Switch system, Nintendo Labo allows users to transform modular sheets of engineered cardboard into interactive creations called Toy-Con—from a motorbike to a piano, a robot suit and more. Users can apply what they learn during the Make, Play and Discover parts of the experience to combine various inputs and outputs to invent new ways to play, using a special mode called Toy-Con Garage (included in the Nintendo Labo software).
“We are thrilled to welcome Nintendo as the presenting sponsor of Maker Faire Bay Area 2018,” said Dale Dougherty, CEO of Make: and Maker Faire. “With its new Nintendo Labo kits, the company has created an incredibly fun and interactive platform that celebrates the maker spirit while introducing the wonder of DIY to an expanded audience of inventors.”
Now in its 13th year, the family-friendly Maker Faire Bay Area brings together more than 100,000 making enthusiasts for a three-day celebration of DIY invention, tech and lifelong learning. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience over 1,000 curated projects across a full spectrum of creativity, including music, art, science, health, robotics and more, including presentations, performances and artistic installations. They’ll also have the opportunity to get hands-on with inventions ranging from hobbyist creations to advanced prototypes of upcoming products.
“Maker Faire represents the pinnacle of DIY ingenuity and culture, making it a great place to share the interactive fun of Nintendo Labo,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We look forward to seeing what this passionate community of inventors, artists and tinkerers creates once they get their hands on the different Nintendo Labo kits.”
About Maker Faire
Founded in 2006, Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness where people of all ages and backgrounds gather to show what they are making and share what they are learning. With nearly 200 Maker Faires happening around the world, the event engages more than 1.4 million annual attendees across 38 countries. In 2014, there was even a Maker Faire on the grounds of The White House. The two flagship events, the annual Bay Area Maker Faire and the World Maker Faire in New York welcome a combined 2,000 Makers and 250,000 attendees each year.
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Make: has been widely credited with jumpstarting the worldwide Maker Movement, which is a transforming force in innovation, culture, and education. Maker Faire is part of the Maker Media brand, which includes Maker: Shed and Make: Magazine.
About Nintendo
The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.5 billion video games and more than 710 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS™ family of systems, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™, Wii™ and Wii U™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
