Smash Bros Creator Pays Tribute to Iwata

The creator of Smash Bros has paid tribute to Satoru Iwata, the "best superior he has ever had."

In his latest Famitsu column (translated by Kotaku), Masahiro Sakurai described Iwata as "a man who understood him better than anyone."

Sakurai wrote that the reality of Iwata's death still hadn't "sunk in." The Nintendo boss had been one of Sakurai's interviewers when he was first hired at HAL Laboratory Inc.

In the column, according to Kotaku's transcription below, Sakurai recalled Iwata's many positive qualities:

He was a man of virtue. Where a normal person would get annoyed or angry, he would never show such emotions and would instead analyze, organize, and offer ideas. He was someone who could bow his head and apologize for things that weren’t his fault. I often worried about his stress levels, but he always talked with a smile.

He had a brilliant mind. Even when people would talk at length or without focus he was able to quickly say, “so, what you’re trying to say is…” and quickly summarize their point. He was able to see to the heart of people and things and was a master of simplifying them so that anyone could understand their point. He could immediately make a call on changes to improve. I have no doubt that many people were saved by this quality.

He was a man of effort. Even though he didn’t start out in the managing field, he read numerous management books, he would ask for advice from the necessary people that he would take to heart, and managed to become the president of Nintendo. What he gained from his years as a programmer allowed him to take many long-term projects to successful fruition.

He was open and generous. Things like his Iwata Asks, and Nintendo Direct weren’t things that necessarily required the president of Nintendo to stand at the front and do. There was always the risk of frivolous criticism. And yet, by being the spokesperson, I believe he showed the importance of properly conveying a message to his audience.

He was empathetic. After he became the president of Nintendo, he would write emails to all employees to communicate and as hard as it was, took a stance to try to treat everyone as equals. He would often ask third parties to see how people were doing. As an individual, he had no self-righteous qualities.

During their final meeting, in January, Sakurai remembered that Iwata had seemed healthy despite his operation the previous year.

Nintendo announced on Sunday, July 12, that Iwata had passed away on the Saturday "due to a bile duct growth." Two representative directors remain at the company: Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Since his death, tributes for the Nintendo president have poured in from fans and developers alike.