Satoru Iwata (1959-2015)
July 13th, 2015 by Benj Edwards
In Memoriam: Satoru Iwata (1959-2015), President, Nintendo of Japan
CEO, Nintendo of America
What a horrible thing. Iwata will be sorely missed.
These days, few large company CEOs rise up through engineering (in this case, software engineering) to take the top spot at the firm. Iwata did exactly that, and that likely contributed a great deal to his success at leading Nintendo.
Nintendo needs a new rudder now. Who they choose to replace Iwata will make or break the company at this point — Nintendo is in a fragile position, poised at the edge of a transition to a new console business model designed to ensure its survival in a mobile/tablet/smartphone dominated world.
What will happen next is anybody’s guess.
What happened under Iwata was amazing.
July 14th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
I agree fully. My sense at this point is the decision of who the next best person is to lead the company will likely prove to be one of the most seminal moments in the history of the company.
His vision isn’t based on the easiest path, or what may be viewed by short-sighted investors as the most profitable way forward… but it’s the right one for this company. His is exactly the kind of leadership Nintendo needed in the previous navigational changes and very much the kind needed during the transition into the next phase of the industry.
Once you see Nintendo orient itself in the same [philosophical] direction as the other major video game companies it’s the beginning of the end.
55 years is so young. I am really gonna miss that guy.
July 16th, 2015 at 11:57 am
He will be greatly missed. HAL Laboratories will always be one of my favorite developing teams for the original NES, not to mention what he brought to the table to make the Wii/WiiU the success it is today. Memory eternal Satoru Iwata.
July 19th, 2015 at 2:37 pm
And a day later, my young cousin. He was a Nintendoer IIRC. :~(
July 20th, 2015 at 9:19 am
I’m very sad to hear that, Ant. My condolences.