Nintendo has sadly announced that its president and CEO, Satoru Iwata, died last Saturday due to ongoing issues involving a bile duct growth. Iwata took some time off for rest to address his health last year and had had surgery to remove a tumor, returning in late 2014.
Iwata took over as Nintendo president from the long reigning Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002, and led the company to massive success with the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles. He used to work as a programmer at the Nintendo HAL annex, contributing to games like EarthBound, Balloon Fight, and most famously the Kirby series.
[任天堂HP] 「代表取締役社長の逝去および異動に関するお知らせ（訃報）」を掲載しました。http://t.co/3u7PhVts1L
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) July 12, 2015
The tweet above links to an Obituary by Nintendo detailing his appointments over the years. Above all that is a simple sad statement:
[quote style=’1′ cite=’http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150713e.pdf’ title=’Nintendo Co., Ltd. ‘]Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth.[/quote]
Aside from his behind the scenes roles, Iwata had a cult of personality to Nintendo followers from his appearances in the company’s Nintendo Direct broadcasts and his “Iwata Asks” series of interviews with company developers. Iwata recently announced new initiatives for the company including a surprising move into mobile gaming and a “Quality of Life” program which has been shrouded in mystery.
He was only 55. He will be missed.
