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Hiroshi Yamauchi dies at 85 (Nikkei)
- Thread starter bernardobri
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zomgbbqftw
Banned
Wow, very sad news.
RIP Yamauchi, Legend.
RIP Yamauchi, Legend.
Cheesemeister
Member
RIP Hiroshi Yamauchi.
Eteric Rice
Member
Rest in peace, you crazy old man.
ComputerMKII
Banned
RIP.
Brofist
Member
That is pure gold!!
durrrrrrrrrr
Member
rest in peace Yamauchi. though he's probably starting a new empire, wherever he is
Broken Joystick
At least you can talk. Who are you?
I don't even want to think about this or any others D:
He led Nintendo from 1949-2002; basically responsible for the modern console market.
Mr.LightMan
Member
R.I.P Yamauchi
Aquamarine
Member
RIP to a legend. You will be missed.
I wonder what will happen to his 10% of Nintendo. :-(
I wonder what will happen to his 10% of Nintendo. :-(
Nope. Nope nope nope.
[when Iwata succeeded him]
When somewhat bluntly asked why Iwata was chosen for the job Yamauchi, speaking as freely as ever, told all. The reason for Iwata-san's selection comes down to his knowledge and understanding of Nintendo's hardware and software. An executive, regardless of his vast successes, is fundamentally an executive, who doesn't intimately understand our products. Yamauchi continues, Within our industry there are those who believe that they will succeed simply because of their successes in other ventures or their wealth, but that doesn't guarantee success. Looking at their experiences since entering the gaming world, it's apparent that our competitors have yielded far more failures than successes. It's been said that Sony is the current winner in the gaming world. However, when considering their victory, you should remember that their success is only a very recent development. Though Sony is widely held to be the strongest in the market, their fortunes may change. Tomorrow, they could lose that strength, as reversals of fortune are part of this business. Taking into account the things I've encountered in my experiences as Nintendo president, I have come to the conclusion that it requires a special talent to manage a company in this industry. I selected Iwata-san based on that criteria. Over the long-term I don't know whether Iwata-san will maintain Nintendo's position or lead the company to even greater heights of success. At the very least, I believe him to be the best person for the job.
Originally Posted by Game Over:
In his late thirties, Yamauchi was suavely handsome, a cigarette always dangling from the corner of his mouth. Even after he sold his love hotel, he was a familiar face among the Kyoto demimonde. Michiko [his wife] said nothing, but the children resented him bitterly.
In 1970, on her twentieth birthday, Yamauchi shocked Yoko [his daughter] when he announced that she was going out on the town with him. She dressed up and accompanied him to a cabaret, a sikake, where five geishas attended them, serving drinks. The women obviously knew him very well. Hiroshi toasted Yoko's coming of age, but when it got late, he sent her home in a taxi. He didn't come home until dawn.
Originally Posted by Game Over:
Dressed in a conservative suit, [Minoru Arakawa] arrived at the Yamauchis'. After the introductions were made, he joined the family at the low dining table, where Michiko and Yoko served the meal. Hiroshi sat back in his chair and studied his daughter's suitor.
The evening wore on and Yamauchi fired questions at Minoru as if he were conducting a job interview. He had to be convinced that Minoru was not a heaver drinker or a playboy.
"You went to Harvard, eh?" Yamauchi asked. "That is a good school."
Mino politely explained that he had gone to MIT.
"I have never heard of it," Yamauchi said.
Yoko and Mino had to convince him that MIT was okay too.
After the meal, the family withdrew to the living room for tea. There, Yamauchi looked at Arakawa and said, without emotion, "If you are going to marry my daughter, you should marry quickly."
Yoko and Minoru exchanged glances, and the young man nodded politely. "Yes, sir," he said.
Hiroshi ribbed Arakawa, saying he was a good choice because a woman shouldn't marry a man who was too good-looking. "If you have a nice-looking man, the girls won't leave him alone," he told his daughter.
Originally Posted by Game Over:
Arakawa pleaded with Yamauchi until his father-in-law finally put someone on the project. The chairman told Gunpei Yokoi to oversee the work of the young apprentice he had asked to come up with something. "But he knows nothing about video games," Yokoi said.
Yamauchi responded that there was no one else available.
The young man Yamauchi had chosen wasn't from any of the engineering groups; in fact, he wasn't even an engineer, but he had enthusiasm and some interesting ideas about the ways video games should be designed.
When Yamauchi so informed Arakawa, his son-in-law fumed. He needed a superior game to save the business and Yamauchi had put an inexperienced apprentice on the job! Why had Yamauchi seduced him into going to America if he was going to sabotage the operation? But there was nothing Mino could do, and he weakly asked his father-in-law, "What is this apprentice's name?"
Yamauchi answred, "Shigeru Miyamoto."
Originally Posted by Game Over:
One day a courier delivered a package that had arrived by air from Kyoto. Don James signed for it and delivered the small box to Arakawa. He opened it and saw the board that contained the new game's program. As the service technician installed it in a console, Arakawa called in Judy and Stone. They watched as the power was turned on. The opening screen announced the game: "DONKEY KONG."
They looked at one another. Stone swore. He and Judy tried the game and concluded that it was a disaster. Two thousand "Donkey Kongs" were worse than two thousand "Radarscopes." Al Stone walked out. "It's over," he said.
Arakawa worriedly complained to Yamauchi, who was thoroughly unsympathetic. He implored Yamauchi to at least change the name, but Yamauchi refused. "It's a good game," he said.
...
Sixty thousand more "Donkey Kongs" were sold, and Nintendo of America's second year ended with more than $100 million in sales.
Donkey Kong appears on the Adam Computer without Nintendo's say:
Originally Posted by Game Over:
Yamauchi entered the room abruptly and, without addressing anyone, stood at the end of the table. He became, as one of those present put it, "unglued."
He began with a breathy, high-pitched tirade in a Marlon Brando monotone and quickly became loud and abusive. with a piercing cry, he swung his arm in an arc in front of him, shooting his outstretched index finger toward Greenberg.
Yamauchi's diatribe, all in Japanese, completely stunned everyone in the room with the possible exception of the Arakawas. Howard Lincoln said, "It scared the hell out of me."
The Coleco people weren't aware that they had messed up Nintendo's lucrative Atari deal- millions of dollars were in the balance- but they could see that they had somehow incurred Yamauchi's unfathomable wrath. When Greenberg tuned to Arakawa for help, he was met with a cold stare. By the time Yamauchi wound down, no one in the room said a word.
The translator finally began to speak. "Mr. Yamauchi is very upset," the man said.
...
Yamauchi spoke again, never wavering. He made it clear that there was nothing else to be said. No excuses would be listened to. Coleco had to refrain from selling "Donkey Kong" on Adam and announce the mistake, or there would be a lawsuit that would leave nothing of the company. There was no doubt that he meant it.
Greenberg and his colleagues retreated from the suite, shaken. Afterward, at dinner in the hotel's Japanese restaurant, Yamauchi, his tie loosened, turned to Howard Lincoln, who was still in a state of shock and said, "Sometimes this is the way you have to handle people, Mr. Lincoln. What did you think about that performance?"
Wurstsemmel
Neo Member
RIP :/
civilstrife
Member
Rise to heaven.
Darkangel2001
Member
R.I.P. and thank you.
Refuse to consider.
Baroquemantic
Member
Rest in Peace.
Kageshinzo
Member
Because of him, I became a gamer. RIP, legend of this industry.
o7
o7
whenever he's asked about not being around anymore, he always brings up his students taking over and that everything is going to be fine.
Oni Link 666
Member
RIP, Yamauchi. Nobody trolled gamers like you.
element
Member
As someone who grew up gaming AND in Seattle, Yamauchi-san influence has been a huge part of my life.
Being a lifelong gamer and someone who works in the industry, he helped shape what has turned into my career.
Being a lifelong Mariners fan, Yamauchi-san personally saved them from moving. With that we got a new stadium. A great team (back in the early 2000's). And when I have kids, I can share those same experience I had growing up cheering for Griffey, Ichiro, and Felix.
Rest in peace.
Being a lifelong gamer and someone who works in the industry, he helped shape what has turned into my career.
Being a lifelong Mariners fan, Yamauchi-san personally saved them from moving. With that we got a new stadium. A great team (back in the early 2000's). And when I have kids, I can share those same experience I had growing up cheering for Griffey, Ichiro, and Felix.
Rest in peace.
Hot Coldman
Banned
Isn't Yamauchi also the guy who suggested giving the DS two screens?
Man was pretty damn smart.
Man was pretty damn smart.
Silver_DNA
Member
He was a heck of a man who left one heck of a legacy. He will not be forgotten.
Mama Robotnik
Member
One of the most historically important figures in gaming history. Rest in peace, hope his family is okay.
Dabookerman
Member
Very sad news, RIP
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