Nintendo President Satoru Iwata’s Death and the Impact on the Gaming World
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Another legend has left us, and this time far too soon. On July 11th, 2015, the President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata died at the age of 55 from complications from a bile duct growth.
Iwata-san has been an icon of gaming for over 30 years. He began developing games as a teen, and would go on to help develop popular games like Eathbound, Balloon Fight, and Kirby. He helped make Pokémon Gold and Silver two of the best entries in the series.
When he officially joined Nintendo in 2000 things were going a bit slow for the big N, but in 2002 he would take over as President and help create two of Nintendo’s biggest hardware hits. In 2004 the Nintendo DS would be released. This new handheld game system was like nothing anyone had seen before. It’s crazy design with one touch screen for controls and other info, and a second main screen for all the action. Many thought it was gimmicky and would be just another failure in the Nintendo line, but as of today the DS line has sold several million units, and is the most popular dedicated handheld gaming device on the market even in the face of mobile gaming on phones and tablets.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAnother of Mr. Iwata’s biggest hits was the Wii. With the goal of making gaming more inclusive, the Wii aimed for a more simplified motion control that allowed more people to pick up a controller and go bowling, or disc golfing, or paragliding. To say that it did well would be a vast understatement. The thing had half the power of the competition, but sold like nothing else except maybe the DS. The Wii was a revolution in motion gaming. Sony and Microsoft struggled to get something similar to market, but simply couldn’t hang.
The 11th marks a sad day for people who love fun because Iwata-san loved fun. You could see it in his interviews, his Ask Iwata series, and Nintendo Direct videos. You could see it in his game and hardware designs. He longed for the thing that he loved, gaming, to be loved and enjoyed by all, not just those that label themselves “gamers.” He was one of the few heads of a major gaming corporation that actually played the games they were developing.
Satoru Iwata was an inspiration and an icon. He helped make some of the greatest gaming experiences and memories many have had. He brought games into nursing homes, and bars, and your mom and dad’s house. He made our lives better and he will be missed.
“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. In my heart I am a gamer.”
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