Goldman Sachs generated profits of $1.24 million per employee in 2007, its best year on record. The Financial Times, who estimated Nintendo's worth, puts that number in perspective by pegging stock market darling Google at $626,000 per employee.

That's not to say that Nintendo employees drive sports cars, however. Even Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's design guru responsible for Mario, Zelda, and the Wii, is a humble "salaryman" with a dog and a garden instead of a yacht and a Ferrari. "We are not experiencing success," said a Nintendo employee to the Financial Times, "just increased overtime."