Despite fighting treatment for cancer for over a year now, it is very sad to report Nintendo's now-former CEO Satoru Iwata has finally succumbed to the disease at the early age of 55. Their press statement reads as follows: "Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth." Iwata's influence on the gaming world is near-unprecedented, and alongside both Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aimé tends to be one of the three pillars of Nintendo's media presence. As such he developed an incredibly loyal fanbase crossing multiple generations, went from working on various now-iconic titles such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Pokémon and more - even being immortalised as a character himself in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Nintendo fans will already know Iwata's prowess on a technical level - something that stemmed from his time as a coder in his younger days, and it's this level of understanding that made him a true rarity in the gaming world as he attained higher and higher positions across the company, never losing sight of what it took to make a great game. Although the death actually happened on July 11th, the outpour of grief from both fans and industry figures will continue on for quite some time. Two tweets from the official PlayStation account and Microsoft head Phil Spencer follow, as well as a quote from Iwata's own rousing speech from the 2005 GDC conference. Rest in peace, Satoru Iwata.
Sad day for Iwata-sans family, friends, and gamers everywhere. His passion, creativity & leadership elevated our industry. Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 13, 2015
"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." - Satoru Iwata.
