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Satoru Iwata Has Passed Away

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G

Griss

Member
Thought sleeping on it would help, but really struggling to be productive at work today. Never really realised the impact the man had on me I guess...
 
S

SUPERJEM94

Banned
Neoxon said:
11745374_1867018686857458_357464513695992711_n.jpg
11224375_1867018703524123_7093732734045945051_n.jpg
11752471_1867018620190798_5371277117694853131_n.jpg
11698721_1867018593524134_8107269687554769112_n.jpg
11752569_1867018636857463_5581084483336845116_n.jpg
11698829_1867018720190788_1383747104577648615_n.jpg


Akuo made these.
Click to expand...
Why is there water in my eyes ;c
 
lachesis

lachesis

Member
Sigh... just heard the news now.

RIP. He was a worthy successor, Mr Yamauchi would've been very proud of.
I would have loved to see his long term vision with him at the helm...
 
U

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
KingBroly said:
Yes, he said he had a growth last year but he said it was found early and he was fortunate.

Either he had a relapse or he was putting on a good face about the whole thing for nearly a year.
Click to expand...

Even when found early, cancer of the bile duct has at best a 30% 5 year survival rate. As soon as the diagnosis was made, Iwata and the board will have drawn up some kind of succession plan, even if it was very loose. They might have downplayed his illness in public statements but a diagnosis like Iwata's requires some kind of reaction within the company.

It's a terrible shame that he got such a rare and deadly form of the disease, it's depressing to think how little time he really had after he was diagnosed.
 
T

Tetsuo9

Member
His last years as a CEO of Nintendo seemed pretty lacking. Going through a horrible illness explains to me why sometimes he was at a loss trying to understand the western market.

But as a gamer and as a person, there is only respect for the man. I hope that more people inside Nintendo will defend the values and motto of the company as him.
 
O

Omegasquash

Member
I just heard the news this morning, and I can't believe it.

I might not have agreed with him on everything, but his character was never, ever in question. A bright light in our world isn't there anymore, but I'm sure his legacy will be long lasting and continue to bring happiness to many.

RIP Satoru Iwata. Thanks for everything. I hope your friends and family are able to find peace soon.
 
D

Dreams-Visions

Member
Rösti;171758630 said:
I don't know if already posted, but NoA updated its press site with a more recent image of Mr. Iwata (this photo was taken on June 23 this year):

iwatajbjh2.jpg
Click to expand...

was he sick? I didn't realize his physical appearance changed so much?

rip, mr Iwata. the NES wasn't my first gaming platform...but it was the first gaming platform I loved.

The memories of my Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt dual cartridge...Gradius...Contra...Rygar...Dragon Warrior...Ice Hockey...1942...the gold Zelda cart...Mike Tyson's Punch Out...Super Mario Brothers 2 and 3...

...going to friends houses and watching them play Zelda II...Castlevania...Battletoads...Madden football...blowing dust out of cartridges...

...these are childhood memories that shaped and still impact my gaming preferences to this day. Iwata will surely be missed not just for the man he was but for all the lives he touched forever. Truly the measure of anyone's impact in this world is measured in the lives they were able to touch...and as such Iwata stands tall among those who have come and gone. His vision and focus to deliver the kind of games and products to play those games the best way he could think of are something rare. Hopefully those who will replace him at the helm of Nintendo learned enough from his example and mind to carry on the legacy to the best of their abilities while also charting a course that will see Nintendo still as relevant in 2025 as they are in 2015.

Thanks for the memories and the resolve to continue to buck popular trends to continue making games that changed gaming over and over again. I wish I could have shaken your hand. Rest in peace.

It's too bad that we so rarely have the opportunity to appreciate those who have lead or impacted our lives. How nice it would have been to have an appreciation thread that he could have seen and read over before he no longer could, with a home full of flowers and thank you cards that could have warmed his heart once more.
 
N

Neoxon

Junior Member
Ushojax said:
Even when found early, cancer of the bile duct has at best a 30% 5 year survival rate. As soon as the diagnosis was made, Iwata and the board will have drawn up some kind of succession plan, even if it was very loose. They might have downplayed his illness in public statements but a diagnosis like Iwata's requires some kind of reaction within the company.

It's a terrible shame that he got such a rare form of the disease.
Click to expand...
It really is, but I'd like to think that Iwata was 10 steps ahead of us all. Regardless, I do agree with what you said, Iwata probably had a plan in place for the worst-case scenario so his legacy can live on after him.
 
T

Throwaway123456789

Member
mrklaw said:
Playing splatoon and literally every squid I walked up to in the town area had a message of condolence for Iwata. I don't know if they are picked randomly or not, but it was a touching surprise to see so many people posting about it.
Click to expand...

The Miiverse mods usually flags what's appropriate or not for in-game visibility. I'm sure they have a hand in letting the condolences through.

Mad Season said:
no. he's a fan of the industry
Click to expand...

An important part of the industry indeed.
 
F

Fuchs

Member
Even though I don't always agreed with his business decisions he always seemed like a very sincere and nice guy.
Fuck cancer.

Please ribbon my avatar.
 
P

peanutbutterlatte

Member
The culture of waiting and getting suitably hyped for Nintendo Directs has been a big part of my gaming hobby the past few years. Always exciting, always fun to watch.
 
N

Neoxon

Junior Member
Condom said:
Is this some weird joke about Nintendo being dead?
Click to expand...
No, far from it. It's to show that Iwata had a major impact on Nintendo & the gaming industry as a whole. Regardless of if he helped directly with development of a game like Earthbound or Pokémon, or did something like throw the company's full support behind a game like Splatoon, what Iwata has done for gaming & especially Nintendo cannot be understated. These characters, regardless of how much of a hand Iwata had in their conception, were benefitted by Iwata's hand in some way, & will live on as parts of his legacy.
 
G

guek

Banned
mrklaw said:
Playing splatoon and literally every squid I walked up to in the town area had a message of condolence for Iwata. I don't know if they are picked randomly or not, but it was a touching surprise to see so many people posting about it.
Click to expand...
That makes me happy. I'm so glad he got to oversee the birth of another beloved nintendo franchise just before passing. I like to believe he died happy knowing what kind of joy he was bringing to the world.
 
D

daxgame

Member
Damn, this is so sudden.

I mean, he was even there at the last Q&A meeting without saying a word about his conditions... jesus. :(
Rest in peace
 
E

Empty

Member
been really glum all day at work.

iwata is such a role model to me, he's been ceo for all the time i've paid attention to individual gaming companies and followed things, so i feel like i know him really well. i think it's the combination of his idealism and grand vision and confidence in his ideas, with a deep humility, lightness and friendliness that strikes me. he wanted to make the world a better place through games, but it never felt like there was any pompous grandiosity than normally accompanies such statements.

i love the stuff coming from his friendship with itoi and the programming andecdotes but for me it's about.

CJw3Ws2WEAAAFTh.jpg


this little quote says so much about iwata to me.

- deep respect for the value of his employees who make 'valuable contributions'. you can see this in his approach with iwata asks too, he really cares about all the little choices and contributions and stories. he was one and he doesn't forget it.
- deep respect for the value of a positive environment. you can see this in how nintendo's games try and be positive.
- deep respect for creativity. rightly wants to limit barriers to creativity.
- goal is to make the best games for customers. always happy to delay games even if it's bad for the system.
- customers around the world. nintendo has a truly global perspective. play transcends language, cultural barriers.
- disdain for just following conventions just because, willingness to strike own path like with ds and wii.
- confidence in his own decisions, while understanding the way other people make choices.
- always thinking about the long term plan

but it's him in business mode. he was conversant in the formal, professional tone, but he had such a sense of humour and soft personality too that was never forgotten or left.

iwata contemplates the bananas

iwata_bananas_thumb.jpg


rest in peace
 
H

huggles

Neo Member
Holy shit.

I just took a peek at the boards at work and this is what I see. Whether you agreed with him or not there was no doubt you could see his passion in what he worked in. Such an amazing man gone.

RIP good sir, you will be missed :( ...
 
E

EatinOlives

Member
Off-Kilter said:
ll these tweets, quotes, and especially fan art make me tear up all over again. The fact that he was a Nintendo guy is also a factor; there's something even sadder than usual about cutesy innocent characters like Kirby, Yoshi, Mario, and others expressing grief. And then there are the balloon pics. Internet, please.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I honestly don't know about this form of fan art. I definitely understand the reasoning for it. It's cathartic for the artist, it helps with coping, it supports a fantasy that fictional characters would show respect toward their creators, etc.

But these characters were created to support the joy of gaming. They were created as cutesy innocent characters to make people smile, be happy, and have fun when they sat down at the end of a long day and turned on a Nintendo console or handheld. Drawing crying Marios and Kirbys takes away that innocence and, in a way, I feel goes against what Iwata wanted Nintendo characters and their games to convey.

I very much support when people post images like this:

Thank_You_Message_-_Super_Mario_World.png


where the characters are happy. It's still bittersweet and sad in its own way, but it still keeps the spirit of the characters true to what they were created for. Drawing the characters crying/mourning/etc. might seem like a sensible way to pay respects, but honestly I don't think it's appropriate. I very much prefer them being happy, and I very much prefer the homages focusing on Iwata, his own quotes, and above all, his Nintendo directs, Iwata asks interviews, and his generally goofy skits and videos he did. That's the way I feel he wanted to be remembered, since he spent his whole life trying to make video games happy and be fun. I think it's only appropriate to make our memorials of him reflect that.
 
R

Rapscallion

Member
Truly a legend that shaped generations of games and gamers. He was a representation of the Nintendo philosophy through and through. His legacy will live on.
 
H

Hyoukokun

Member
DragonSworne said:
I don't remember all these fan comics/art for Yamauchi.
Click to expand...

Yamauchi didn't put himself out there as the public face of the company in nearly the same way. He was public enough, but there was no Yamauchi Asks, no Nintendo Directs (not that the technology really existed during his tenure)... and he wasn't particularly a gamer himself, but a savvy businessman with an eye for developer talent. The personal connection for many (myself included) is much stronger with Iwata.
 
E

El Odio

Banned
I thought going to sleep would help clear my head but I'm still struggling to ignore the impact of this. I wish we couldve had this sort of honor thread for him while he was still with us.
 
L

Linkhero1

Member
Hyoukokun said:
Yamauchi didn't put himself out there as the public face of the company in nearly the same way. He was public enough, but there was no Yamauchi Asks, no Nintendo Directs (not that the technology really existed during his tenure)... and he wasn't particularly a gamer himself, but a savvy businessman with an eye for developer talent. The personal connection for many (myself included) is much stronger with Iwata.
Click to expand...
This is spot on.
 
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