Nintendo had already experienced significant success in American arcades with its 1981's Donkey Kong, which starred the character Jumpman. Meanwhile, Nintendo had successfully shifted from a card game company to a video game publisher, releasing its Famicom console to great success in Japan while avoiding the same business tactics that had crippled the industry overseas. RELATED: Every 3D Super Mario Game, Ranked Despite their legacy, Atari would never reach the same level of success and ubiquitous name brand recognition it had enjoyed during the Atari 2600's peak years. Even today, Atari is little more than a trademark, a brand that is routinely sold off or traded between company's to cash in on their clout. Atari, which had been the undisputed market leader, quickly found itself a shadow of its former self. All of these factors would lead to an epic market crash, with many companies knocked out of the video game industry for good.
