Satoru Iwata Has Passed Away
- Thread starter Broken Joystick
- Start date
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Very late thank you to you!
A realise now that I know absolutely nothing about his family. I assume he was married, does he have children? I felt weird thinking I know and respect Iwata and yet that knowledge & respect comes from gaming, I know nothing of his personal life.
Either way, my condolences to his family and closest friends, he passed away far too young.
Either way, my condolences to his family and closest friends, he passed away far too young.
WooHooAlex
Member
Absolutely devastated by this news.
And to think, many were just shy of rioting a few weeks ago after their E3 presentation. Iwata came out and basically apologized and said they'll do a better job in the future. Knowing that he probably wouldn't even be around for it. It kind of puts things into perspective. Absolutely tragic.
RIP Mr. Iwata.
And to think, many were just shy of rioting a few weeks ago after their E3 presentation. Iwata came out and basically apologized and said they'll do a better job in the future. Knowing that he probably wouldn't even be around for it. It kind of puts things into perspective. Absolutely tragic.
RIP Mr. Iwata.
Cheeseman Battitude
Member
Please do.
Alethebeer
Member
Rest in peace president.
My heart. Broken.
AmaterasuOkami076
Member
Such sad news. Rest in peace you absolute legend.
I just read this thread with Thoughts to a Friend from Xenoblade looping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPtU7aWDdbY
Why did I do that? ;_;7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPtU7aWDdbY
Why did I do that? ;_;7
Lapidus' Beard
Member
Very sad news. Rest in Peace!
jacob armitage
Banned
edit: I think I'm going to use it myself.
beautiful, thank you!
edit: I think I'm going to use it myself.
Gold. Thanks, much appreciated!
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Oh, goodness... He's way too young to just die like this. It's kind of distressing to know that you can just go like that.
I think some things are never going to be the same after this. Man was legendary, from what I have heard about his earlier days, and I found it to be nice that he was there for the whole past decade. He seemed to be a really great person too.
Rest in peace.
I think some things are never going to be the same after this. Man was legendary, from what I have heard about his earlier days, and I found it to be nice that he was there for the whole past decade. He seemed to be a really great person too.
Rest in peace.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
I've had hours to cope with this and a part of me is still in denial. I see pictures of him all over the Internet, as youthful and bright as we remember, and I can't help exclaiming, "I can't believe he's gone."
I just wandered over to the piano and played "Smiles and Tears" by heart for the first time in, gosh, I don't know how long. EarthBound was one of the games that brought be back to the Nintendo fold in the early 2000s after nearly a decade away, just as Iwata was taking over, and it was also arguably the game most influential in drawing me into the world of interpreting video game music.
Back then, of course, I didn't have a clue about Iwata's level of involvement in the programming. I think it was only with the growth of access to big presentations like the E3 conferences in the 2000s that the major industry bosses cultivated a sense of personality, and we began to pay attention to who they were.
The more I think about it, the fellow that Iwata reminds me of is actually Bill Gates. Now, Microsoft's practices when they were king were somewhat predatory and not at all endearing like Nintendo's, and they never had the same underdog appeal, so the public never saw this side of Gates until after he stepped down to be a philanthropist full-time. But if you were in the tech conference circuit back in the late '90s you would know that Gates was cut from a similar cloth: a somewhat dorky executive who coded his way up in an industry run largely by sales-and-marketing suits, and who never hesitated to poke fun at his own quirks in comedic video segments not that far removed from Iwata's warm self-parody.
Of course, what made Iwata special was not just his gentle humour but the resolve to stick to his vision instead of reacting to what the market thought it wanted. He never forgot who he was or what he stood far, and I am more than a little livid that he never received the quiet retirement he deserved, where he could see all of his initiatives for the company's future come to fruition.
I just wandered over to the piano and played "Smiles and Tears" by heart for the first time in, gosh, I don't know how long. EarthBound was one of the games that brought be back to the Nintendo fold in the early 2000s after nearly a decade away, just as Iwata was taking over, and it was also arguably the game most influential in drawing me into the world of interpreting video game music.
Back then, of course, I didn't have a clue about Iwata's level of involvement in the programming. I think it was only with the growth of access to big presentations like the E3 conferences in the 2000s that the major industry bosses cultivated a sense of personality, and we began to pay attention to who they were.
The more I think about it, the fellow that Iwata reminds me of is actually Bill Gates. Now, Microsoft's practices when they were king were somewhat predatory and not at all endearing like Nintendo's, and they never had the same underdog appeal, so the public never saw this side of Gates until after he stepped down to be a philanthropist full-time. But if you were in the tech conference circuit back in the late '90s you would know that Gates was cut from a similar cloth: a somewhat dorky executive who coded his way up in an industry run largely by sales-and-marketing suits, and who never hesitated to poke fun at his own quirks in comedic video segments not that far removed from Iwata's warm self-parody.
Of course, what made Iwata special was not just his gentle humour but the resolve to stick to his vision instead of reacting to what the market thought it wanted. He never forgot who he was or what he stood far, and I am more than a little livid that he never received the quiet retirement he deserved, where he could see all of his initiatives for the company's future come to fruition.
thenewjeva
Member
It's been a few hours since hearing about his passing and it's still hard to believe that he's gone. One of the most brilliant game programmers in the world as well as leading the world's most respected game companies through some of its best and worst times has finally left us. It's such a shame that he went out at such a young age.
However, as a song that perfectly represents his life would have to be My Way.
Why? From watching that Game Center CX video, it seems like the odds were stacked against Iwata from the beginning. From salvaging nearly-failed projects to making business decisions that weren't necessarily popular but paved the way for the games industry as it is today, Iwata faced many challenges throughout his life that he persevered. Despite the large amount of pressure from investors, journalists, and gamers to change their corporate focus into the modern "games as a service" business model, Iwata stuck to his guns and continued to lead Nintendo to focus on the pure essence of gaming: fun.
In many cases, this strategy worked well for Nintendo. In others it failed miserably, but even through their troubled times, Iwata stuck to his guns and did whatever he could to make it work. Even when Nintendo started losing money, instead of laying off staff, Iwata decided to take a 50% pay cut instead, which is nearly unheard of from a CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation. And even through those troubled times, Nintendo continued to create some of their greatest games throughout their time, with their most recent batch of games being their best output in years.
You can say whatever you want about the current states of the Wii U, 3DS, or Amiibo, but in the end, Iwata did what he thought was best to create games that would please everyone. It might not have worked and it might have made a few people angry, but he fought day in and day out to make it work and kept to it until the end. He's one of the most respectable CEOs I've ever seen from any corporation and we'll probably never see another one like him for a long time.
RIP Satoru Iwata. Your achievements in gaming shall be remembered for years to come.
However, as a song that perfectly represents his life would have to be My Way.
Why? From watching that Game Center CX video, it seems like the odds were stacked against Iwata from the beginning. From salvaging nearly-failed projects to making business decisions that weren't necessarily popular but paved the way for the games industry as it is today, Iwata faced many challenges throughout his life that he persevered. Despite the large amount of pressure from investors, journalists, and gamers to change their corporate focus into the modern "games as a service" business model, Iwata stuck to his guns and continued to lead Nintendo to focus on the pure essence of gaming: fun.
In many cases, this strategy worked well for Nintendo. In others it failed miserably, but even through their troubled times, Iwata stuck to his guns and did whatever he could to make it work. Even when Nintendo started losing money, instead of laying off staff, Iwata decided to take a 50% pay cut instead, which is nearly unheard of from a CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation. And even through those troubled times, Nintendo continued to create some of their greatest games throughout their time, with their most recent batch of games being their best output in years.
You can say whatever you want about the current states of the Wii U, 3DS, or Amiibo, but in the end, Iwata did what he thought was best to create games that would please everyone. It might not have worked and it might have made a few people angry, but he fought day in and day out to make it work and kept to it until the end. He's one of the most respectable CEOs I've ever seen from any corporation and we'll probably never see another one like him for a long time.
RIP Satoru Iwata. Your achievements in gaming shall be remembered for years to come.
HUELEN10
Member
He was our friend. He never met most any of us, but he was our friend; we felt his love and passion, and he knew that others appreciated that as well.
I'm taking it hard myself; I can't sleep, and I have to work. Please don't misunderstand me, I am not trying to be egotistical or inappropriate for saying this, but... he knew that we knew that Nintendo was Nintendo, because of him; I know this for a fact because I wrote it for the card we made for him.
He knew that Nintendo was Nintendo because of him, he knew that even though the suits and the press and the market was against him, he was trusted and loved and people believed in him...
And in his last year, the company turned a profit, announcements were made, and the question mark of "what happens now?" is filled with the least amount of anxiety it can get, all things considered.
He was loved, he was loved, and we'll miss him, and remember him, and never stop loving what he did, how he did it, and what he stood for.
Don't you get it? There are no happy endings, because... because nothing ends.
GustyGardner
Member
This is not what I wanted to wake up to this morning 
RIP
RIP
Chittagong
Gold Member
RIP Iwata-san
True visionary, engaging speaker, gamer. Thanks for making Nintendo a household name once more.
True visionary, engaging speaker, gamer. Thanks for making Nintendo a household name once more.
HUELEN10
Member
Please leave a memorial if there isn't one already.
Japanmanx3
Member
Someone please ribbonize me if possible please.
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