Satoru Iwata suddenly passed away on July 11, 2015

Official Nintendo notice

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150713e.pdf

News just came only a short while ago that Satoru Iwata passed away July 11th due to a bile duct growth. He had taken time off in 2014 to recover and address the condition, reappearing later having lost a massive amount of weight compared to prior his time off. He was 55 year old.

Iwata had been with Nintendo since 2000, and was appointed president of Nintendo in 2002. Before that he worked at HAL, working on the Kirby, Earthbound, and Balloon Fightseries.

Sad, sad day.

55 is just too young,..rest in peace Mr. Iwata.

R.I.P Mister Iwata.....I wish I could of got to meet him. I had so much respect...

A sad day indeed, fans will never forget the fun he brought to Nintendo. I think this is the first time ive shed tears for a person dying ive never met. Long live Iwata.

RIP Iwata-san. You will be dearly missed by many. A sad day.

Poor man - regardless of how you feel about his professional decisions, he deserves respect for the dedication and work he put in for Nintendo.

He was so young... so sudden. Sad day indeed. :(

Damn it. Someone told me this a moment ago and was hoping it was one of those fake death news. This is really saddening news. This is a huge loss to the entire gaming world. My heart goes out to his closest.

Despite not knowing him personally I'm so sad.

He's one of the people who made a huge impact on my life growing up as a kid, with the games he helped make and the way he directed the company.

RIP :(

Took me totally off guard. I thought he was good to go after his surgery. I checked my url to make sure I went to Gamespot and not some joke site. Sad to see him go, especially at such a young age. I'll think of him while playing Earthbound.

Wow!! R.I.P Iwata. He seemed like a nice guy. It caught me off guard. It is a sad day. He did have a condition going on with him. I wasn't sure how bad it was. This site hasn't been working properly since this news.

Also, here's a pic from another forum.

This just goes to show how life should never be taken for granted no matter your age.... the sad part of this is that he died not because of reckless things he was doing to himself but just because of an unlucky sickness.

Few people are as successful in the gaming industry as was Satoru Iwata. He will be fondly remembered by millions of gamers for his innovations at Nintendo. (Thank you for the Wii, Wii U, and Amiibo). My prayers are for his family that they will be able to heal with time over his passing.

Yamauchi is the one who brought about the Wii (and DS)

@Jaysonguy: My mistake...thank you for the gentle correction.

"Satoru Iwata (Japanese: 岩田 聡, Hepburn: Iwata Satoru^?, December 6, 1959 – July 11, 2015) was a Japanese businessman and programmer who served as the fourth president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo. He worked as a programmer at HAL Laboratory early in his career before joining Nintendo in 2000, succeeding Hiroshi Yamauchi as the company's president in May 2002. He was the first Nintendo president who was unrelated to the Yamauchi family through blood or marriage. Iwata directed the company to pursue development of the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles in 2006, helping the company to become financially successful among other game console manufacturers."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoru_Iwata#Nintendo

Wow! That was completely out of the blue. R.I.P Mr. Iwata...

The games that Iwata worked on. Make sure to zoom in on the list.

http://abload.de/img/screenshot636x8bcj.png

Also, a nice gif from the GameFAQs forums

I thought he was doing great after the surgery and we saw pics of him gain weight back. Very shocking my prayers go out to his fam and N.

This is very sad.

RIP.

Sad day for his family and the gaming community at large.

This is devastating news. He has been president ever since I was in high school. Rest in peace, Iwata. You will be missed.

It hits so close to home in great part because of how much of a presence he had to us as consumers. The Nintendo Directs and the Iwata Asks. They will never be the same without him.

My heart goes out to his friends and family so much. If I'm sitting here crying, I can't imagine what they're going through. He was just too young.

Death does not make me change my opinions of someone. If I liked you or dislike you, life or death is not a factor. Iwata always came across as a likeable man and one who seemed to enjoy his more personal interactions with fans and consumers that we don't see often in this market. A lot of us have been saying Nintendo needs a change in leadership. Well, it looks like it is coming.

Iwata will be replaced but I think no one will be quite as humble, private, approachable and likeable all at the same time as him. I could write quite a bit about how much I admired him. Him passing away so soon was something I never expected; rest in peace, Iwata.

Don't know why but, Sonys tweet to Mr. Iwata just broke me.

Jay, now is not the time dude. Chill out for now and at least show a little respect even if you didn't like him.

RIP Iwata, some of the contributions he helped produce I personally didn't like much but there are others that he helped produce that were brilliant. RIP Iwata.

@-paranorman-:That really is beautiful.

I'm JUST seeing this news as I visited Gamespot's from page (my access to the internet can be sporadic at times), and it's one of the few times in recent memory that I suddenly felt impacted by an gaming-related article heading. I mean... wow... :(

This is indeed a very sad time for not just Nintendo, but for gaming. Even as a gamer that has been largely on the outside in recent years, this is something that hits home fairly hard to me. I'm familiar with the name Satoru Iwata as a young player that finished Kirby's Adventure for the NES and seeing his name in the credits; I was aware of his tenure at HAL Laboratories (one of my all-time favorite developers) and his promotion as president of Nintendo. Honestly, the man wasn't dealt of best of hands when he took over as Nintendo president, and while received his share of criticism over the years for handling the company, particularly with its console-related strategies, I do believe that he always handled himself with grace and humility in spite of his enormous role. This, however, is much less to do with Iwata as a corporate figure and almost entirely to do with him as a human being; in no way can I say that I knew him personally, but how he carried himself in the public eye says a lot to me about his character.

Obviously, my prayers go out to the Iwata family first and foremost. In regards to Nintendo the company and its future, there is another time and place to be discussing such matters, so I won't even begin to touch on that matter here. Satoru Iwata is one who will be dearly missed, and I am grateful for having the chance to enjoy the contributions he has made to the video game industry as a longtime enthusiast.

Iwata brought about the successes of the Wii and DS....Yamauchi was NOT president at that point. Those immensely popular consoles were a result of the Iwata's willingness to fight to succeed. Do not try to confuse others and take away some of his best accomplishments. RIP Iwata-san, only the ignorant could not fully appreciate the work you have given to the world....

Thank you for appreciating Iwata-san. This is the best way to show respect and make sure that his legacy lives on!

No question. This isn't just about the head of a company passing away; this is about remembering and celebrating the life and accomplishments of a man whose efforts have helped provide me and millions of others plenty of smiles over the span of decades now. It's an achievement that not many people are able to accomplish in their lives, and that alone deserves some respect. Seeing as how my two favorite consoles ever are the NES and the Wii, I also find it quite fitting that Iwata played a constant part in how I enjoyed my gaming adventures. There is plenty to reflect upon after the shock factor that comes with discovering such tragic news, but I think it's important to be able to sort out the importance of Iwata's efforts not just from a global, industry-wide perspective, but a personal one.

Many have probably heard me rant against Nintendo in the past. Today, I'm not here for that. I'm here to offer my condolences to Iwata's family. Not just his wife and children, but the millions of Nintendo kids he's helped raise this generation. The families he brought together over the Wii and the DS. The friends he made in couch parties and StreetPass. You've lost someone who was a big part of your lives, and for that I am sorry.

And this goes to those who disagree with Nintendo. As time moves on, we'll see what kind of company Nintendo becomes. For now, let people have their moment. Don't ruin it with childish taunts and insults. Let the dead rest, the grieving grieve, and the world change without throwing bile into this. We all have to bear our losses. Bear them with dignity, not disgrace.

Rest in Peace. Thank you for the Nintendo memories. Iwata you will be missed.

His contributions to gaming are truly commendable. There are few people in this world who can say they contributed to gaming like he has. If anybody deserves to rest in peace, its Iwata. I hope that the rainbow over Nintendo headquarters is him telling us he made it to world 9-1 safely.

Satoru Iwata’s Funeral Will Be Held On July 17th

What? But that's Splatfest. I will honor him by dedicating my Splatfest performance to his memory.

it's a grief thing that I never actually met him,may this be the last of his dynasty,when the news broke out at the time,I wasn't at home,but I do respect him in any way possible,sure the failure of the WiiU was part of his business,but that doesn't mean he failed himself,sad to see him go this way...I'm sure Miyamoto will take good care of the whole company,this is the third time a modern Ninty official died,the first was that of Gunpei Yokoi who died from a car accident ,then another goes to Hiroshi Yamauchi who died from pneumonia ,and now this...it's a shame he will not see the brightness of the upcoming NX.

for everything you do,whether it's wrong or right,it's all forgiven.

our condolences from Smashers International Society,may you rest in absolute peace forevermore.

SB50.

LLAP,Iwata san.

one more thing...have some DK-quality banana on your way out as a reminder of how great he is