We are in shock here after hearing that Satoru Iwata, president and CEO of Nintendo, has passed away at 55.
Nintendo released a statement last night, saying Iwata’s death had been caused by a bile duct growth, something which kept him away from last year’s E3.
After working at HAL Laboratories on titles like EarthBound and the Kirby series, he became president of Nintendo back in 2002, replacing Hiroshi Yamauchi. Iwata later become CEO and, most recently, host of Nintendo Direct which made him a familiar face of the company to millions who watched the news updates.
Overseeing the introduction of the Gamecube, Wii and DS, as well as the more recent Wii U and newer DS iterations, Iwata was a gamer at heart and despite Nintendo’s recent ups and downs, remained true to this throughout, famously saying “Videogames are meant to be just one thing. Fun. Fun for everyone.”
The industry and gaming itself will be poorer for the loss of Satoru Iwata. Rest In Peace.
