iQue
Founded	December 6, 2002[1]
FirstSuper Mario game	Super Mario 64 andDr. Mario 64 localization (2003)
LatestSuper Mario game	Super Mario 3D Land andMario Kart 7 localization (2012) (last iQue published) Donkey Kong Country Returns HD localization (2025) (last iQue localized)

iQue Ltd. is a Chinese video game company founded in 2002 as a joint venture betweenNintendo and Chinese–American scientist and entrepreneurWei Yen.^[2] It became a 100% Nintendo-owned subsidiary after Wei Yen left the company.^[3] It localizes and distributes Nintendo consoles and games for the mainland Chinese market, under the iQue brand. The English name "iQue" means "beyond intelligence."^[4]

History

iQue Ltd. was founded with a registered capital of $30m in December 2002 and established its headquarters inSuzhou, China, in May 2003. Investment from both parties (Nintendo and Wei Yen) include capital, technology, patents, software copyright, and other intellectual properties.^[2] According to some former employees, iQue stayed independent in its financial and marketing in the first few years,^[5] and it was a cooperation partner of Nintendo instead of a subordinate agency.^[6] Prior to iQue, Nintendo had introduced theGame Boy Advance to China via a Hong Kongese sales agent named Mani (万信),^[7] but faced several challenges such as the rampant piracy among Chinese game retailers and the government's ban on video game consoles, which led to the partnership with Wei Yen to solve these issues via localization.^[8]

On November 17, 2003, iQue released theiQue Player (神游机), based on theNintendo 64 but with anti-piracy mechanisms. The iQue Player was unique in that all the components were inside the controller and that it loaded games from a single 64MB flash memory card with digital signatures instead of tradable cartridges. Games for the console must be digitally purchased and written to the flash memory cards, at first through "iQue Depots" (神游加油站)—interactive kiosks in big cities where the player could bring their flash memory cards and iQue Tickets (神游票) to download, buy, store, and retrieve games—and since October 2004 through an online service called iQue@Home (神游在线), which provided the same services to players at home via client software and the Internet. There were also multiplayer accessories (共游盒 and共游机) for family gaming. According toShigeru Miyamoto, the design has to do with the low income, undeveloped logistics, and rampant piracy in mainland China.^[9] 14 games were released.^[10] iQue Players came with five games pre-installed, although four of them are time-limited demos, after which the full version had to be bought to continue playing. Of these five games,Dr. Mario 64 was the only full game included. On the iQue Player menu,Dr. Mario 64 and purchased games are indicated with a red square, while timed demo games are indicated by a yellow square.^{[citation needed]} The iQue Player was a commercial failure, having sold only 8,000 to 12,000 units instead of 1,000,000 units as Wei Yen had anticipated.^[11]

On June 8, 2004, the iQue Game Boy Advance (小神游)^[12] was released. Unlike the iQue Player, it had no regional lockout or anti-piracy mechanism, featuring interoperability with Nintendo's version of the Game Boy Advance. Four months later, the similar iQue GBA SP was released, followed by several new designs and official contests.^[13] The iQue GBA series sold well, reaching 200,000 units in 2005. At the same time, there were efforts to develop edutainment software, but none had ever been released. A total of eight games was released during the console's lifespan.^[10]

On July 23, 2005, the iQue DS was released. It can load iQue DS, Nintendo DS, and GBA games, but iQue DS games could not be played on the Nintendo DS, which was otherwise region free. The deluxe version sold via large markets hadPolarium andWarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! The iQue DS Lite released in June 2006 followed by supporting flash cartridges, and the Nintendo DS series sold well, reaching 300,000+ units. Only six games were ever released.^[10]

In 2007, iQue's version of theWii was approved and planned for sale in 2008, but it was later canceled. The iQue DSi was released in 2009.

Even since it became a full Nintendo subsidiary, iQue released the iQue 3DS XL in 2012, with two games pre-installed,Super Mario 3D Land andMario Kart 7. No other titles have been released by iQue since. However, titles from Nintendo Hong Kong and Nintendo Taiwan that featured a Simplified Chinese interface could be played on the iQue 3DS XL, includingMario Tennis Open,New Super Mario Bros. 2,Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, andPaper Mario: Sticker Star. iQue discontinued all services in mainland China in 2016, but it remained doing Simplified Chinese localization for Nintendo Hong Kong.

Localized consoles

• iQue Player –Nintendo 64 (released November 17, 2003)
• iQue Game Boy Advance –Game Boy Advance (released June 8, 2004)^[12]
• iQue Game Boy Advance SP –Game Boy Advance SP
• iQue Game Boy Micro –Game Boy Micro
• iQue DS –Nintendo DS (released July 23, 2005), also had a deluxe version sold via large markets withPolarium andWarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!^[14]
• iQue DS Lite –Nintendo DS Lite (released June 2006)
• iQue DSi –Nintendo DSi
• iQue 3DS XL –Nintendo 3DS XL

Super Mario games published under the "iQue" brand

Boxart	Console	Game	Simplified Chinese title	Release date	Official website
	iQue Player	Dr. Mario 64	马力欧医生Mǎlìōu Yīshēng Literally "Dr. Mario"	November 17, 2003	in Chinese
	iQue Player	Super Mario 64	神游马力欧Shényóu Mǎlìōu Literally "iQue Mario"	November 17, 2003	in Chinese
	iQue Player	Mario Kart 64	马力欧卡丁车Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē Literally "Mario Kart"	December 25, 2003	in Chinese
	iQue Player	Yoshi's Story	耀西故事Yàoxī Gùshì Literally "Yoshi Story"	March 25, 2004	in Chinese
	iQue Player	Paper Mario	纸片马力欧Zhǐpiàn Mǎlìōu Literally "Paper Mario"	June 8, 2004	in Chinese
	iQue Player	Super Smash Bros.	任天堂明星大乱斗Rèntiāntáng Míngxīng Dàluàndòu Literally "Nintendo' Stars: Great Melee"	November 15, 2005	in Chinese
	iQue GBA	Wario Land 4	瓦力欧寻宝记Wǎlìōu Xúnbǎo Jì Literally "Wario's Treasure-seeking Journey"	June 30, 2004[15]	in Chinese
	iQue GBA	Super Mario Advance	超级马力欧２Chāojí Mǎlìōu 2 Literally "Super Mario 2"	June 30, 2004[16]	in Chinese
	iQue GBA	WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!	瓦力欧制造Wǎlìōu Zhìzào Literally "Made by Wario"	July 4, 2005	in Chinese
	iQue GBA	Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3	耀西岛Yàoxī Dǎo Literally "Yoshi Island"	March 2, 2006	in Chinese
	iQue GBA	Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2	超级马力欧世界Chāojí Mǎlìōu Shìjiè Literally "Super Mario World"	March 15, 2006	in Chinese
	iQue GBA	Mario Kart: Super Circuit	马力欧卡丁车--超级赛道Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē--Chāojí Sàidào Literally "Mario Kart: Super Circuit"	Canceled[17]
	iQue GBA	Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga	马力欧与路易吉RPGMǎlìōu yǔ Lùyìjī RPG Literally "Mario & Luigi RPG"	Canceled[17]
	iQue GBA	Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	超级马力欧3Chāojí Mǎlìōu 3 Literally "Super Mario 3"	Canceled[17]
	iQue GBA	DK: King of Swing	摇摆森喜刚Yáobǎi Sēnxǐgāng Literally "Swing Donkey Kong"	Canceled[17]
	iQue DS	WarioWare: Touched!	摸摸瓦力欧制造Mōmō Wǎlìōu Zhìzào Literally "Touch Wario Made"	July 23, 2005	in Chinese
	iQue DS	Yoshi Touch & Go	摸摸耀西-云中漫步Mōmō Yàoxī: Yúnzhōng Mànbù Literally "Touch Yoshi: Strolling in Clouds"	February 14, 2006	in Chinese
	iQue DS	Super Mario 64 DS	神游马力欧DSShényóu Mǎlìōu DS Literally "iQue Mario DS"	June 21, 2007	in Chinese
	iQue DS	New Super Mario Bros.	New 超级马力欧兄弟New Chāojí Mǎlìōu Xiōngdì Literally "New Super Mario Bros."	July 2, 2009	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Bird & Beans	鸟和豆Niǎo hé Dòu Literally "Bird and Beans"	December 15, 2009	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Paper Airplane Chase	纸飞机挑战Zhǐfēijī Tiǎozhàn Literally "Paper Plane Challenge"	December 15, 2009	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Mario Clock	iQue DSi时钟　红白机马力欧款iQue DSi Shízhōng Hóngbáijī Mǎlìōu Kuǎn Literally "iQue DSi Clock Famicom Mario Edition"	January 21, 2010	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Mario Calculator	iQue DSi计算器　红白机马力欧款iQue DSi Jǐsuànqì Hóngbáijī Mǎlìōu Kuǎn Literally "iQue DSi Calculator Famicom Mario Edition"	February 11, 2010	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	WarioWare: Snapped!	照照瓦力欧制造Zhàozhào Wǎlìōu Zhìzào Literally "Picture-taking Wario Made"	March 11, 2010	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Dr. Mario Express	一下下马力欧医生Yíxìaxìa Mǎlìōu Yīshēng Literally "A little bit of Dr.Mario"	April 8, 2010	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory	GAME & WATCH 马力欧的水泥工场GAME & WATCH Mǎlìōu de Shuǐní Gōngchǎng Literally "GAME & WATCH Mario's Cement Factory"	February 17, 2011	in Chinese
	iQue DSi	Game & Watch: Donkey Kong Jr.	GAME & WATCH 森乐刚GAME & WATCH Sēnlègāng Literally "GAME & WATCH Donkey Kong Jr."	August 12, 2010	in Chinese
	iQue 3DS XL	Super Mario 3D Land	超级马力欧 3D乐园Chāojí Mǎlìōu 3D Lèyuán Literally "Super Mario 3D Wonderland"	December 7, 2012	in Chinese
	iQue 3DS XL	Mario Kart 7	马力欧卡丁车7Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē 7 Literally "Mario Kart 7"	December 7, 2012	in Chinese

Other localizedSuper Mario games

These games are localized by iQue but not distributed by it.iQue can be seen credited in these games' credits. The company was not credited for the localization ofMario Kart 8 Deluxe until the release of the final wave in theBooster Course Pass DLC.

Other works

• iQue Míngxīng Qí (board game)
• Mario Dàmàoxiǎn (comic)

Names in other languages

Notes

• In the late 2010s, many iQue-related assets were leaked from a server hack of BroadOn, another electronics company led by Wei Yen. This included source code and prototype versions for games such asSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island andSuper Mario Kart, alongside dozens of other Nintendo titles.

References

External links

iQue coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

---

Nookipedia

SmashWiki

StrategyWiki

Zelda Wiki

• Official Chinese website

• Companies

• Articles with dead external links
• Articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with sections that need more images
• Articles with placeholder images
• Articles with unsourced foreign names