Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away at 55

[Djinn]

http://kotaku.com/nintendos-president-has-passed-away-1717386412

Nintendo has just issued a short statement announcing that president Satoru Iwata has passed away at the age of 55.

The statement reads:

Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth.

Iwata was forced to skip last year’s E3 due to his poor health, and shortly afterwards underwent surgery to remove the bile duct growth.

Iwata first joined Nintendo in the 1980s, where he worked on games like Balloon Fight and EarthBound. He became a Director of the company in 2000, and in 2002 was appointed as only the fourth President of Nintendo when he succeeded Hiroshi Yamauchi.

In his time as President, Iwata oversaw some of the strongest (Wii, DS) and weakest (GameCube, Wii U) periods in Nintendo’s history as a video game company.

An immensely popular figure both within the industry and with Nintendo fans, he will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Mr. Iwata.

Waiting to see what changes are coming of this

 

[A Link In Time]

Even though people criticized Iwata at the end, it was during his tenure that Nintendo was at its most profitable. I had a lot of respect for the man. He was the one that wanted more frequent updates to gamers through Nintendo Directs. My condolences to his loved ones.

 

[Mido]

I'm still processing all this after a friend of mine told me the news. He's done great things for the industry, and he will truly be missed.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/12/nintendo-chief-satoru-iwata-dies/

I am not sure if this is official yet, but from what I saw here, it seems Shirgeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda will take over for the time being.

 

[Masked Bastard]

I might as well leave this here.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150713e.pdf

 

[ReveredPartisan]

"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer."


Very sad, and very shocking, news.

It has to be said that Iwata presided over the highs, and the lows, of Nintendo's long history; and despite receiving much criticism for this, when you look back at his tenure, there wasn't a moment when he wasn't adamant in his vision for the future of the company. He spoke often about expanding games and bringing people together through the medium; and he never relinquished that goal, even when profits scraped the floor and people called for him to turn in a different direction.

I think he saw a future in games that wasn't the future we see unfolding today; one where they become a quality of the lives we really live, where we can relate them to relationships and experiences with real, tangible people. He hit he bullseye with the Wii, he took a nosedive into murky waters wih the Wii U, but either way, there's a lot of respect in standing tall and not peeling into what the market demands.

As the statement reads, and as we're all feeling, he'll be sorely missed.

 

[Triforce King]

I...can't believe he's dead. Sure he made some mistakes, but he was a good and caring person, like the time he took that pay cut or the times he apologize for when he mess up, not a lot of companies or people will do that, that's why to me Mr. Iwata is a real man. May you rest in peace Mr. Iwata

 

[Lozjam]

It is so very sad that his last official announcement was him apologizing for E3....
You really do not know when it could happen....
Iwata has an amazing legacy though, and he will constantly live on the games he dedicated his life too, and in our hearts.

 

[Azure Sage]

I thought it was some sort of sick joke when I first saw this. Now I'm wishing it were just a sick joke. I feel so broken up about this.

 

[12345]

My sincere condolences to his family and close ones, as well as the gaming community in whole. It pains us all that such an influential figure in the industry has passed away at a relatively young age. His legacy shall live on and continue to maintain Nintendo's glory.

 

[Dan]

Was quite shocked to hear this. Very tragic, as he was a very likable character. Going to be a lot sadder next E3 as a part of the comedic trio will not be present. Nintendo directs just won't be the same.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Sure as hell was not expecting to see this when I logged onto the internet

RIP Mr. Iwata, you were a true giant and visionary in the gaming world, you were always such a gracious person whenever you greeted fans. You will be missed. Thank you for creating some of the fondest memories of my childhood and the childhoods of millions of people world wide.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

he became in charge right at the time i came onto the gaming scene,replaying some of my childhood and teenage hood nintendo games,i'd always see his name at the end credits
i can't believe he's gone now,he'll always be remembered to us

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

This is seriously the saddest news I've heard in a really long time. I'm still having trouble comprehending it.

 

[Polychrome]

Terrible news to hear. I find myself thinking Nintendo must have known this was about to happen. Just...the way they've handled a lot of corporate announcements lately.

 

[DARK MASTER]

I didn't think I'd be this shocked. He hopefully enjoyed a nice existence.