When industry conditions are disrupted, planning for the future can be difficult. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the hospitality industry, not only depressing demand during the height of the crisis but also holding implications going forward for hotel demand in a future "new normal." How can mature, established organizations rethink their business models when circumstances demand it? How can firms envision possible scenarios and make plans to deploy resources when accurate forecasting is difficult or impossible? This case is used at Darden in the first-year core Strategy course, often in conjunction with concepts and frameworks such as hypothesis testing and scenario planning (see chapters 10 and 14 of The Strategist's Toolkit). The case would also be suitable for any course or module discussing disruptive innovation, business model change, organizational change, strategic planning, or resource allocation. The case highlights a female executive at the company.

This case presents the evolution of Nintendo's gaming technology and discusses the history of the video gaming sector over eight generations of releases. It illustrates how industry dynamics shift over time and how different phases of the competitive life cycle place different demands upon those firms that are all vying for the top position. The case provides history and context for students to discuss an age-old question: How do firms sustain a competitive advantage over time? Based on public sources and written from the perspective of Aya Kyogoku, the manager of Entertainment Planning and Development (EPD) Production Group No. 5, the case offers a launching point into a discussion of how different product strategies can become dominant at different times, an insight that has implications for future strategies. The case also includes sales, stock prices, consumer spending, and product release data that allow for calculations and discussions of the performance of the broader market. The case opens with Kyogoku pondering the future of the entire gaming industry-one facing explosive growth-and Nintendo's place within it. She reflects on the company's need to continue to experiment and innovate and wonders where Nintendo should focus its creative spirit going forward. The case is targeted to MBA students and executives who are building a foundation for analyzing and developing competitive strategies. It is used in the required core Strategy course at the Darden School of Business, where it is employed to highlight industry evolution and the changing nature of competitive dynamics within an evolving context. It would also be suitable for any course on disruptive strategy or digital transformation.