I've read that Nintendo basically had to make guarantees to big retailers like Sears that they would buy back any un-sold stock. That kind of risk taking couple

I've read that Nintendo basically had to make guarantees to big retailers like Sears that they would buy back any un-sold stock. That kind of risk taking coupled with the reasonable assumption (particularly in hindsight) that video games weren't just a fad along with the quality of games like Super Mario Bros. was the recipe for the NES re-starting the industry.