Their estimated revenue for 1990 was $3.4 billion, which gave them a dominating 88% market share. In 1991, they surpassed Toyota as Japan’s most successful company. Nintendo earned $1.5 million per employee. But it wasn’t all roses. The Federal Trade Commission investigated Nintendo on allegations of antitrust violations, such as price-fixing, in order to beat the competition. Nintendo denied any wrongdoing but was ordered to send out up to $25 million worth of rebates to customers. The rebate took the form of a $5 coupon that consumers could only use to buy more Nintendo games. In total, Super Mario Bros. 3 sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. When combined with re-releases, it’s estimated to have sold more than 30 million copies. But it was bigger than just money and sales figures. Super Mario Bros. 3 was further proof that home video games could be huge, sprawling adventures, and even better than arcade games. Shigeru Miyamoto became a superstar. Celebrities like Paul McCartney and Steven Spielberg flew to Japan to meet him. His success ensured he would either produce or direct all future big Nintendo releases. His next Mario game, Super Mario World, was a launch title for Nintendo’s new 16-bit machine, the Super Famicom, also known as the Super Nintendo. With the updated hardware, Miyamoto was finally able to let his hero ride a dinosaur. Other companies took notice of Mario’s success. Sega saw the power of a flagship franchise and began working on their own mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. His debut in 1991 on the Mega Drive and Genesis created legit competition in the market, leading to the great console wars of the ’90s. Even after Nintendo came out with the Super Nintendo, people continued to play and love Super Mario Bros. 3. It was listed in the top-20 NES games of Nintendo Power until the system was discontinued in 1995. When people look back on their childhood memories with the NES, they almost always, without fail, think of Super Mario Bros. 3, a game that felt nostalgic yet revolutionary at the same time, a game that lived up to its unparalleled hype.