Satoru Iwata has Passed Away

When I saw this news yesterday I was overwhelmed and couldn't function for a while. All too sudden and too shocking. Nintendo has brought me so much joy these last 15 years and to lose Iwata so soon is simply heartbreaking.

Rest in peace and my condolences to his family.. you have impacted the lives of very many, including me.

While trawling through various links to re-find info and discussing him with friends, I was reminded of this video and feel it is worth watching (or a rewatch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63mG4k-VIyY

It's an episode of a Japanese show (it's subtitled here) called GameCentreCX/Retro Game Master where a guy plays video games (it's pretty entertaining). This episode features Iwata. A good way to see the guy outside of the Directs and etc.

Well... Satoru Iwata is...
known as one of the leaders in the gaming that bring such a great impact to our lives. When he talks to us in the Nintendo Direct, discussing behind the scenes of gaming via Iwata Asks, seeing his name at the end of the video game that I played, all of this makes everyone, including myself, can't handle it when he's gone... We need to thank him for all of the efforts he has done to make a great gaming experience to every gamers alike.

RIP, and I wish all the best for Iwata-san's family.

I read this last night, and hope Nintendo does their best, even though they lost such a great mind....

I found out about this last night looking up something on BMGF. Sad to see such an innovator go at such a young age. I had no idea he was going through health issues in the first place. I wonder what all those who wanted him fired have to say now....

RIP Iwata, you will be greatly missed.

To me, he felt like the Mister Rogers of video games with his charm. I love all of his videos and will surely miss his presence with Nintendo.

Various companies and developers are sharing their condolence to Iwata's passing: http://playeressence.com/playstatio...ff-keighley-more-pay-tribute-to-satoru-iwata/


There's no denying that Iwata made a huge impact in not just Nintendo, but the entire gaming industry as a whole. The question remains is who will be his successor. Will it be a long-time veteran of the company or someone he personally handpicked? I just hope that whoever is the new president still believes in Iwata and Yamauchi's philosophies.

Fuck-- I shed a few tears over this.. I thought that closed thread in TT was just a joke.

... I still can't believe it.

R.I.P. Mr. Iwata. Thank you for so many wonderful, amazing years, and for always brightening our spirits with your enthusiasm and passion.

Rest in peace, Mr. Iwata. You created my childhood. You created my greatest heroes. You created my will to do good. Never have I been so sad about a celebrity death. Goodbye. Please understand that you will be missed.

He died while doing what he liked most, bringing games to us and becomimg a legend. He's now at the sides of Bruce Lee and many other legends that gave life more meaning.

I don't have a single Nintendo console. I'm not particularly attached to Nintendo, as a result. Nor to Mr. Iwata. Or so I thought.

I was on the verge of crying. At first, it seemed a bit too unreal. So fucking sudden. I checked the date immediately suspecting it to be some sort of shitty joke. But no. It still didn't hit me at that moment, though.

After a while, I just couldn't stop myself from feeling depressed. Doesn't make sense how I said what I did initially and yet said I still felt depressed, no? The thing is, I've been aware of his Nintendo Direct videos. And I'm aware of the kind of guy he was and the ideology he carried while he worked as the CEO. People like him are very few and far between in the gaming industry as a whole. To lose a nice guy like him just like that and all of a sudden...that's just so freakin' sad I have no words to describe the feeling. Its like, the guy was family. He just felt like he's someone you knew very well and just a very nice guy in general. And losing someone like that is just...no.

Definitely lost a great person. The gaming industry, all of us gamers - we will definitely miss you, sir. You were definitely very special. May your soul rest in peace.

Sad to see this guy go, especially considering 55 is way too young to die at.

RIP Iwata. As far as I'm concerned, you won the match against Reggie:

I heard the news about Satoru Iwata's passing on the BBC World Service radio program in the wee hours of the morning; it is still a bit startling and difficult to process... :( My condolences to Satoru Iwata's family, friends, and close colleagues. Satoru Iwata's legacy in the videogaming industry will be remembered... It's going to be strange whenever I go to watch past Nintendo Direct presentations featuring him...I liked how he took the time to even attempt speaking English for international, non-Japanese audiences. The numerous Iwata Asks interviews that he conducted were also nice repositories that held hidden gems of videogame information, and the banter between Iwata and the interviewees was nice to read; here's hoping that those featured interviews get preserved in some form.

Satoru Iwata's programming exploits were also marvels to learn about; nowadays, he is practically synonymous with the principle of "Genius Programming" for me.. Without Iwata, Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver Versions would probably be a lot smaller and less noteworthy due to their omission of Kanto and the Kanto Gym Leaders, as well as some of Johto's other features that otherwise would not have made the cut... Additionally, the feats of masterfully porting the core series' battle code to the Nintendo 64's Pokémon Stadium without crucial documents, concisely getting Super Smash Bros. Melee ready for launch, and recoding EarthBound/Mother 2 to a manageable state...Iwata's work remains phenomenal. Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., and EarthBound/Mother may not have turned out as the franchises they are today without Iwata's help, even during the conceptual and developmental phases of games.

Coming off of the backlash of E3 2015 and Iwata's earnest declaration that Nintendo would improve for future presentations (as well as Iwata's selfless pay-cut during Nintendo's Wii U financial woes), this news is especially tragic; I was hoping to see him and Nintendo as a whole rebound at E3 2016 and/or in near-future Nintendo Directs. I've heard that he hasn't attended E3 recently (E3 2014 and E3 2015?) due to ill health, although it's nice that he still took the time to help out regarding Nintendo Direct presentations and the epic E3 2014 Digital Event. It's so strange to see someone so energetic one day, and passing away mere days later.. Nintendo has again lost a great gaming icon succeeding from Hiroshi Yamauchi, but I have hope that the company can pull through and revitalize gaming in a way that stems from Iwata's vision. It's nice to see even companies like Sony and Microsoft put aside differences with Nintendo and unite to pay respects with others in this sorrowful event. The fanart and mourning comments from outlets like PokéCommunity, Smashboards, numerous subreddits (Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., Nintendo) are just so moving, not to mention the touching remarks from Iwata's Nintendo colleagues such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Masahiro Sakurai, and Junichi Masuda. ;-;

Rest in peace, Satoru Iwata; may God bless your soul. You will be greatly missed. Thanks for the wonderment of "Directly To You" and "Please Understand", as well as your cherished programming skills, interviews, and presentations! While we lack a proper 1UP, may your ripples in the videogaming industry continue to breathe new life into videogames for generations to come.

EDIT: A lot of people seem to be posting "Smiles and Tears" from EarthBound/Mother 2 in remembrance; while I await to hear the song in its proper context, it seems to be fitting for the day... :(

I also found this touching image on Pokemon Showdown's "Video Games" room:



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Here's a nice compilation I found on Reddit that details many people's reactions from the videogame industry: http://www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/3d59t0/video_game_industry_reactions_to_satoru_iwatas/

http://www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/3d59t0/video_game_industry_reactions_to_satoru_iwatas/

I was so shocked when I read about it in school today... He is one of my biggest idols, the biggest when it comes to the gaming industrie and I guess to many many other players and programmers in the world as well. He was so young. Too young to die at least and of course nobody deserves a disease like cancer... All the money doesn't help if you cannot do a single thing. I never thought that it can touch you so hard if you don't even know a person but somehow all gamers who grew up with Nintendo and who still are with Nintendo connect so many memories and emotions with Nintendo that it really can hurt you if you read something like this. And all the tributes (art, text, etc.) are really impressive. But this one of Konami is the most impressive in my opinion.



Iwata-san... In our memories you will live forever and thank you for all what you brought "directly" to us. I am really going to miss that statement with your typical gesture in any future directs. But you must know, that I only became a professional (game) developer because of Nintendo and therefore because of YOU!

I'll send you all my thoughts "directly" to you.

RIP Iwata-san, 1959-2015

R.I.P. Satoru Iwata, he was a great man for President of Nintendo, he was a Legend, and he made some good video games.

Requiescat in pace, Satoru Iwata

Been pretty depressed about this since yesterday. He was a legend, my childhood wouldn't have been anywhere near the same without his work.
Earthbound, my favorite game that I was even playing this weekend....wouldn't have existed without him ;__;
It was almost unreal hearing it at first. But he will live on in our hearts and his legacy will never be forgotten.

This is actually what he looked like a few weeks before he passed.

It pains me to see that picture, because you can see he was suffering from cancer. And know we know why he picked the puppet style at E3 and why he couldn't attend. I mean, image him walking out on stage in this condition? It would be horrible for everyone, just knowing he was suffering. :(

Its truly a sad day in the game industry; and its a damn shame it had to happen to him. It just seems that the good die young.... and it hurts inside. Rest in peace and thank you Mr. Iwata. My prayers go out to your family.

Yeah, I saw that picture earlier - stark change in weight there. It's... weird to see a picture of him like that, actually.