A legend of the gaming industry has left us. Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11th, 2015. I couldn't write this right away, not even a week after was I able to really put my feelings about this event onto paper. Iwata had said “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.” This alone shows why so many people loved him, and how he could craft and help to craft games which spoke to so many people.
For
me personally, I was growing up with Iwata's games and didn't even
know it. From one of my favorite early NES games Balloon Fight, to
porting the battle system for Pokemon Stadium on the N64. So many of
my favorite games could have never seen the light of day without his work. I
remember the joy I felt when playing Kirby's Dream Land for the first
time, or when I saw my would be rival staring into the Professor's
window in Pokemon Gold/Silver.
Nintendo
as we know it may not even exist today if it was not for Iwata's
business acumen. He took over as President in 2002, while the company
wasn't quite as profitable as it had been. With his strategies to
make games that were fun for everyone, and fostering a relationship
between Nintendo and Capcom, Iwata was able to prove his worth as the
first President of the company who was not related to the Yamauchi
family who founded Nintendo. Iwata eventually took over as CEO in
June of 2013.
More
than anything though, I believe most modern day gamers will remember
Iwata from his charming personality and humor in the Nintendo Direct
videos and his Iwata Asks segments where he often would interview
other Nintendo employees. This is one giant of industry who touched
the hearts of gamers everywhere, and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife Kayoko Iwata.
Please
understand, Satoru Iwata has advanced to the next stage.
