Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has passed away.

[GoGo Yubari]

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.

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

What awful, awful news. God.

Edited July 13, 2015 by GoGo Yubari

[apsham]

Really something you don't see coming - Iwata was always fun to have around, had a hand in some great products and never forgot why he was in the business. A great loss for the industry.

[Benji]

Little bit of my childhood passed with Iwata tofay. I think this quote sums him up well:

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.

A passionate man who never lost sight of what gaming is all about.

[Robsturgh]

It's easy for companies to claim that they care about their fans, and that the executives listen. But Iwata really did listen, and he really did care about Nintendo fans. He personalised his messages (whether Press Conferences or Nintendo Directs) in a way that made him, and in turn Nintendo, come across as a bunch of passionate people working on fun stuff. Man, he was really great for the industry and a really great guy. Will be sorely missed. 

[Bobfoc]

The fact that Iwata voluntarily halved his salary amidst concerns about Nintendo's financial difficulties speaks volumes about the stature of the man himself. In an industry of corporate greed and general disconnect between publishers and consumers, Iwata's easy-going personality and focus on the importance of fun in the video game medium was a true shining light, and one that I will miss.

[MDK]

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.

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

What awful, awful news. God.

Balls, Gamecube was my favourite console of all time.

[Rainiac]

Man, what horrible news to wake up to. Iwata was a very personable man & the perfect choice to lead Nintendo, but what people forget is that he was also a fantastic programmer. He recoded Earthbound pretty much from the ground up, without which the game probably wouldn't have even been released, much less become the cult favourite it is today. He wrote the battle system for Pokemon Stadium on the N64, converting it from the Game Boy by hand. Most impressive of all, it was Satoru Iwata who invented a way of compressing data so efficiently that they were able to include both Kanto & Johto on the Pokemon Gold/Silver cartridges (something Game Freak hadn't originally planned).

We've lost a true leading light in the video game world today. I see people online saying about how "we'll never see a CEO like Iwata again". I seriously hope that isn't the case

I'll leave the last word to Mr Iwata himself: "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."

[apsham]

Apparently there was a rainbow over Nintendo HQ today.

[GoGo Yubari]

EarthBound creator Shigesato Itoi on Iwata's passing.

When I’m parting with a friend, regardless of the circumstances, I find it best to just say, “See you later.” We’ll meet again. After all, we’re friends.

That’s right—nothing unusual about it. I’ll see you later.

You went on a trip far, far away, even though it was planned for many years from now. You wore your best outfit and said “Sorry for the short notice,” though you didn’t say it out loud.

You always put yourself last, after you’d finished helping everyone else. You were so generous as a friend that this trip might be your very first selfish act.

I still can’t grasp what’s happened. It feels like I could still get a light-hearted e-mail asking me out to lunch at any moment—after you’ve made sure lunch wouldn’t disrupt my schedule, of course.

You can invite me out whenever you want. I’ll invite you, too.

So for now, let’s plan on meeting again. You can call me up whenever you like, and I’ll give you a call, too. I still have a lot to talk to you about, and if I come up with any particularly good ideas, I’ll let you know.

So let’s meet again.

No–I suppose we’re already meeting. Right here, right now.

[/indent]

Edited July 13, 2015 by GoGo Yubari

[Ruki]

That is heart breaking.

[apsham]

God dammit I love Itoi.

[Schlitzbrille]

 Right in the feels....

[Plubby]

EarthBound creator Shigesato Itoi on Iwata's passing.

When I’m parting with a friend, regardless of the circumstances, I find it best to just say, “See you later.” We’ll meet again. After all, we’re friends.

That’s right—nothing unusual about it. I’ll see you later.

You went on a trip far, far away, even though it was planned for many years from now. You wore your best outfit and said “Sorry for the short notice,” though you didn’t say it out loud.

You always put yourself last, after you’d finished helping everyone else. You were so generous as a friend that this trip might be your very first selfish act.

I still can’t grasp what’s happened. It feels like I could still get a light-hearted e-mail asking me out to lunch at any moment—after you’ve made sure lunch wouldn’t disrupt my schedule, of course.

You can invite me out whenever you want. I’ll invite you, too.

So for now, let’s plan on meeting again. You can call me up whenever you like, and I’ll give you a call, too. I still have a lot to talk to you about, and if I come up with any particularly good ideas, I’ll let you know.

So let’s meet again.

No–I suppose we’re already meeting. Right here, right now.

[/indent]

No, YOUR room is dusty right now...

[Lint]

http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-remembers-satoru-iwata-1719451777