Satoru Iwata Has Passed Away at 55
It is with a heavy heart that I must say that Mr. Satoru Iwata, the President of Nintendo, has passed away at the age of 55. Mr. Iwata died of a growth in his bile duct. Iwata had a series of health issues recently, but it was believed that he was getting better. It was in fact due to his health issues that he was unable to attend E3 in the last few years. However, he did present for the Nintendo Digital events.
Mr. Iwata has been a part of Nintendo since the 1980’s, where he began as a simple programmer. Not unlike Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto, Iwata has had a lot of impact on key Nintendo franchises. It was because of him that both Kirby and Super Smash Bros. truly got off the ground, as both those titles came from Hal Laboratory where he worked. Also, Mr. Iwata was an executive producer on numerous Nintendo titles.
Iwata has been the face of the company for many years, earning numerous memes and gifs from fans who respected his passion and love of both gaming and those who played games. It’s unclear who will replace Mr. Iwata as president, but please understand when I say, they’ll have big shoes to fill.
Thank you for everything Mr. Iwata. Rest in peace.