BEIJING - Nintendo's award-winning home console - the Wii - changed the face of global gaming. While many expected Sony and Microsoft to dominate the market, Nintendo shocked them all with the launch of their revolutionary product. But the story of this secretive, low-profile company has rarely been told.

How did a struggling Japanese family company, which began as a playing card business some 120 years ago and now has a market capitalization of around $40 billion and a stable of iconic characters, games and consoles, come to dominate one of the world's most fiercely competitive industries?

In the book Playing to Wiin: Nintendo and the Video Game Industry's Greatest Comeback, author Daniel Sloan tells the story of Japan's most successful company and maker of its most lucrative cultural export.

The book, published by John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd, includes interviews with the company's management and designers, as well as comments and insight from analysts and historians who have followed Nintendo over the years.

He details the key succession issue for Nintendo, the development of the DS and Wii mega-hit consoles and the creation of remarkable new gaming software. All these factors combined to expand the gaming population and drive Nintendo to the top of its industry.

This fascinating book is essential reading for any executive looking for an inspirational story about creative turnaround strategy.

China Daily