Satoru Iwata has passed away

[Rusty Sticks]

Official statement.

One of the most influential people in the entire video game industry has passed away. He died on July 11, 2015 due to medical complications with a bile duct growth. In June 2000, Mr. Iwata was appointed as one of the Directors at Nintendo, and in May 2002, he was named the President and Representative Director. Most recently in June of 2013, he was named the CEO of Nintendo of America.

He was 55 years old.

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[LLR]

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has passed away according to official Nintendo tweets.

He will be missed.
RIP.

 

[Purrloin]

R.I.P. Iwata

 

[Professor Palutena]

Man, this really sucks. There's really no words to describe how much this situation sucks. His role in the gaming industry has been pivotal since he became president.

FYI, he was 55 so he was still very young. He always wanted to make people happy with their games. This is a tough pill to swallow.

 

[PMJ]

F

His replacement has big shoes to fill. A sad day indeed for Nintendo and gamers the world over. RIP.

 

[Jungletoad]

This seems so unreal, I almost don't believe it...

 

[thegrovylekid]

Oh my gods...
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I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it, he will be missed forever.

F

 

[Shining Raikou]

Truly a huge loss for the gaming industry. Such a shock too.

Thank you, Mr. Iwata, for all that you have done for us gamers. You will be missed.

 

[Robin Aisaga]

This was unexpected, way too early... I'll really miss him I always enjoyed watching his Nintendo Direct's. He did a great job -R.I.P Iwata

 

[Lostlorn Forest]

No... RIP Iwata. Thank you for all you have given us.

 

[Toro Rosso]

There are a lot of things that Iwata did that I think not many of us knew.

1) He was instrumental in getting Kanto into Pokemon Gold and Silver. Previously, the designers thought it wasn't possible to fit Kanto into the 2MB cartridge the GB Colour had. But Iwata actually took the original Pokemon, compressed it and implemented it into the game.

2) He also programmed Pokemon Stadium (from scratch!) by using the code from Pokemon Red and Green. Now, this was probably mind-blowing given how difficult the N64 was to program using Colour code...

3) Finally, we should thank him for the Nintendo DS and the Wii family.

He will be missed. Vale and rest in peace, my friend.

 

[Kenneth Ecker]

I wonder what his favorite Pokemon was. I would love to build a deck with it in his honor.

 

[BigfootAUS]

I feel so sorry for Iwata's friends and family - he's been a huge inspiration to me, I can't imagine how much of an impact this would have on people close to him.

Iwata's ideals and personality and intelligence were incredible and definitely helped Nintendo (and even the videogaming industry as a whole) become what it is today. This is the man who helped improve Game Boy Color development tools and assisted the development of Pokemon Gold and Silver while not officially being part of Nintendo. The man who pushed hard for the Wii and the Nintendo DS to be developed properly enough for everyone to love while still being quirky enough to be new. The man who helped bring us Nintendo Directs (risky at the time, but a huge success without a doubt). The man who helped Nintendo begin stepping into mobile game development. And the man who cut his own glamorously-large salary to help Nintendo stay financially healthy during tough times. All while being friendly, personable and quirky, keeping Nintendo in a positive light while the videogaming industry goes through crazy and sometimes ridiculous changes around him. He was someone to count on to make quality games, and to make fun games. It's going to be tough imagining Nintendo without him.

Rest in peace, Satoru Iwata.

 

[Teal]

I cried for 15 minutes when I read the news, please understand.

RIP

 

[ChicaSkas]

So sad. Rest in peace. Prayers to his family.

 

[asdjklghty]

So no more Pokemon games?

 

[Leaf_Ranger]

To have such a wonderful and creative human die at this age and due to that disease...so, so unfair!
I feel empty, with tears in my eyes and all I can think about is the amazing memories I have with Nintendo's portable consoles and Pokémon. Mr. Iwata is such a great man that despite not actually knowing him, the Nintendo Direct made it look like I knew him and it was the amazing person that kept working hard and fight against the lack of innovation. Mr. Iwata is a better sight than a rainbow.
In general and of lesser importance, the gaming industry is now poorer. May Mr. Iwata's legacy live on and endure the passing of time so that my chidren and grandchildren can have the same joy I have when playing a Nintendo title.

Thank you sooooooooooooooo much! You'll be missed and never be forgotten! I bow down in respect.

Edit: here's a little something on how I'll remember your joyfulness.

 

[The Shining Mew]

This was so shocking. Today, we have lost a true legend in the video game industry. Mr. Iwata did so much for Nintendo, and even Pokémon itself. He focused on developing unique and fun games, not catching up with the rest of the industry. He had a truly likeable personality, and brought Nintendo to even greater heights. It is truly a sad thing that he will never see the 30th anniversary of Mario. You will be missed, sir, rest in peace.

"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."

"Video games are meant to be fun. Fun for everyone."
-Satoru Iwata, 1959-2015

 

[Teal]

So no more Pokemon games?

Huh? No, don't worry. Iwata didn't have anything/much to do with the production of any recent Pokémon games.

 

[Delta]

Over a decade and thousands of hours of pure gold. 55 isn't any age to stop making video games for people. Not something I want to wake up to everyday.
RIP Iwata. I hope those talented morons at Nintendo can make you proud.