Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Has Passed Away, Age 55

Stefan L 13 Comments

Satoru Iwata has been a hugely popular figure at Nintendo, having worked at closely linked HAL Laboratory before joining the Ninendo proper in 2000 and become its president in 2002. Lately, a great deal of that popularity has stemmed from his often lighthearted appearances as the host of the Nintendo Direct streams, in which he was regularly involved in the kinds of capers that saw a muppet of himself hosting this year’s E3 show.

However, it was just last year that he was forced to miss the 2014 E3 showcase through poor health, and despite surgery soon afterwards and being able returning to work, those health issues have recurred.

In a brief statement issued today, Nintendo have announced that president Satoru Iwata has passed away at the age of 55.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth.

He will be missed, and we would like to wish his family, friends and all those close to him our deepest condolences.

An outpouring of tributes and condolences have flooded the internet this morning from both his fans and his peers, with just a small selection from within the industry collected here:

Translated: Iwata-san contributed to the development of the game industry significantly. We will pray for him and hope he rests in peace.

https://twitter.com/zeldawilliams/status/620423322166136832

Tags: ,

Related stories from TSA

Nintendo Switch 2 passes 17 million, while Switch 1 jumps the DS to become second best-selling console ever
Nintendo makes the Switch 2 its “primary development focus”, as though it wasn’t already
Bowser retires as Nintendo of America President and COO
Donkey Kong Bananza developer confirmed as Super Mario Odyssey team

13 Comments

  1. 55 is no age to go. Very, very sad.

  2. A true legend of the industry. Sad news.

  3. wow, sad and shocking news to wake up to.

    i’d read about his health issues, but i didn’t think they were that serious.

    i’m genuinely saddened by this news.
    i’d grown kinda fond of Iwata from watching those Nintendo direct videos they’ve been putting out for a while now, i don’t know what it was, but he just came across as a really likeable guy.

    makes me wonder if his health was a factor in going with puppets for the E3 presentation.
    maybe they wanted him involved even if he wasn’t well enough to appear in person.

    i think it’s kind of fitting, many people’s last memory of Iwata will be something fun like that.

    my thoughts are with his friends and family.

  4. Such sad news to wake up to. As Jake put it, 55 is too young.

  5. I had no Idea he was in a bad condition. Rest in peace.

  6. I can only imagine that it must have been job stress causing the health problems. Japanese people lead such healthy lifestyles and usually live to ripe old ages.
    Sad news indeed and best of luck to Ninty in finding a suitable replacement.

  7. Nintendo was my first foray into gaming with the Gameboy. He has helped give us all so much. Rest in peace Iwata. Hopefully Nintendo come out of this okay.

  8. The man was an absolute legend, and he will be sorely missed. My thoughts go out to his family and friends, as well as his co-workers.

    This is a sad day for the industry and gamers, but his memory and legacy will be bright and good.

    Thank you, Satoru Iwata.

  9. Read about this last night (I think it was) and was a little watery-eyed at his passing because of how he was regarded. Almost a unanimous outpouring of respect and compassion.

    I truly hope his family, friends and colleagues are coping as well as they can be expected.

  10. Disheartening news to wake up to. As a man with a great legacy, he will surely be missed by not only the industry, but gamers around the globe.

    My thoughts are with Iwata’s family and indeed Nintendo as a whole during this difficult time.

Comments are now closed for this post.