Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has passed away

[C4k3]

It doesn't seem real. It's just happened so fast. I'm glad he managed to give us this year's and last year's hilarious E3 moments before his passing. He seemed like such a fun person to work with.

Godspeed, you wonderful man.

[Polkadi~☆]

I'm... Shocked. I was just having a normal day, and I top it off with this.

I'm trying to feel sad, to cry, but I'm just trembling in shock. Perhaps I don't believe it, or I just don't want to cry to make my day worse. He was a man that still brought fun into video games, instead of the stupid cash-grabbing schemes with games of today that had little to no replayability. I respected him well for that. He shaped Nintendo so that they were still great in the age of today. The Directs he starred in were a blast (personal favourite is the Satoru Vs Reggie fight). And he was a fun man, all in all. And now, in a flash, he's just... Gone.

I'm still trembling in shock, and I definitely don't want to believe it. I'm just going to take a rest for a while to clear the images out of my head.

[Junko]

"An unusual day, an unusual state of mind, yet I go to work as usual, devote myself to development as usual. This too is for Iwata-san's sake, isn't it? I will do what I must."

[-Robin-]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE7FdVjrfww

Pretty much describes how everyone's feeling, in musical form, I suppose. At least for me it is.

It really is a Day's End, and one that's extremely lamenting. But still, a new Day follows right after. And we don't just not forget what the day prior was all about, but we build off it with the messages from that Day as guidance.

Understand?

Edited July 13, 2015 by -Robin-

[DarkRula]

Okay. This has seriously shocked me, and I possibly wouldn't have known about it until the end of this week had it not been for some occurrence within my family life.

This is too much though. He was a great man. Great at what he did. Great at what decisions he made.

I can't really say anything else that hasn't been said already - but rest in peace, Mr. Iwata. May you be among your creations having a good time.

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

Someone in Tumblr made this image. Very touching (and a bit humorous, made me smile)....

Edited July 13, 2015 by Ming Ming Kanetsugu

[Celestia]

Gamexplain just made this 

 

I made the mistake of trying to watch this. The instant I heard his voice, combined with that music, I started to tear up. I was really sad when I heard the news earlier, but somehow that just...ugh. T_T

[Ducktor Naldush]

What a horrible thing to wake up to. I may not be a big Nintendo fan as much as I used to be, and I may not have liked their last conference, but there's no denying that some of my favourite games came to be thanks to this man. He was the executive producer of The Thousand Years Door, Kirby Super Star and Minish Cap, games I spent hours on.

Without him, I wouldn't have destroyed  Brock and Misty with my Feraligatr for humiliating me back in Pokemon Red,  one of my fondest memories in gaming.

And still, without him I wouldn't have enjoyed games as much as I did. I wouldn't have so much fun. 

And he was still too fucking young. 55 years. He was 2 years younger than my father and 2 years older than my mother. That shouldn't happen. 

And I have to admit; for thing like these, I am one of those guys who need some time to really realize what is going on. And that tweet from Sony did just the trick. And now I am really fucking sad.

Thank you for everything, Mr. Iwata. You will be missed. 

[Doctor MK]

This news is the first thing I saw when I woke up this morning. At first, I thought it was some sort of crazy joke that had spiralled out of control overnight, but then it started to become more and more obvious and more and more real... it's incredibly sad and incredibly sudden. 

Thank you Mr. Iwata for all you did for Nintendo, and for all you did for gamers everywhere. Even those out there who do not play your games or sometimes didn't agree with your business decisions... they cannot deny the impact you had on the industry and respect you for all you managed to achieve. Nintendo is going to have a very tough time replacing you.

RIP.

[ElectricAngel]

Wha- N-no.. No! This has to be just a dream. Please tell me it's just a bad dream!  

I can't believe one of the most inspirational people just left like that. He was so young too... 

This news.. it will take a bit of getting used to. I still can't believe this happened.. yet the tears won't stop flowing down my face..

I should give thanks to Mr. Iwata. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be into gaming today. I admire how he always tried to do something new and different with video games. And it's not just consoles, but games as well. Maybe he didn't play a huge part, but he was Executive Producer in many of the games I played as a child, and those same games are the only reason I still play games today. 

And as sad as I am, I have to say I'm also concerned about his family at the moment. I really hope they're doing alright. I guess all I can do is give my condolences to his family and coworkers. I can't even imagine what's going on in their lives right now. And it's too heartbreaking to try and think. 

Rest in peace, Mr. Iwata, and thank you so much for everything. 

[Junko]

"Mr. Iwata was a major contributor in the development of the game industry. I pray that he rest in peace."

 

[w00tkins]

Brawl in the Family posts a tribute to Mr Iwata 

;___;

[Marcello]

How horrible. I thought he was feeling better after the operation last year and he was doing Directs and other things again. I hope his death didn't comes as such a surprise to his family and friends as it did for us, so they could at least somewhat prepare themselves for this. I feel so sorry for them. And he's so young. Just a few years older than my parents.

[Blue Rainbow]

I'm spechless... it's so sudden, that it feels just like a 'game over' from video game. My mind is blank as I'm writing this. Satoru, Reggie, Sakurai, Miyamoto  - these are people that I really care about, even though I don't know them personally. And now... just like someone else said earlier - I feel like I've lost a friend ;_;

Thank you for everything you have done Iwata-san.

[sonicgirl313]

Well here's my picture in honor of Iwata. Stayed up all night to finish it.

[Gabz Girl]

It warms my heart to see all those messages about Iwata-san from companies like Bungie and Treyarch Studios. Just shows you what an important figure he was to the gaming industry.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Gabz Girl

[Candescence]

Whoa, this is some heavy shit. I thought this was some kind of joke at first, but everyone in the gaming community is mourning him. The man was a legend, a unique executive who knew what gaming was really about, and was a brilliant programmer to boot. We may not all agree with his decisions, but we all know the industry is a lesser place without him.

Rest in peace, Iwata-san. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

Also found this fanart.

 

Iwata is IMO the "Michael Jackson" of Video Games, and this is someone who isn't much of a Nintendo fan as I was 8 years ago. Nintendo wouldn't be where it is today without him. He left a huge legacy. He will be remembered for many many years to come.

 

LEGEND.

[Junko]

So, Shigesato Itoi wrote this about Iwata and someone had the courtesy to fancy it up for maximum feels~

Edited July 13, 2015 by Athena Cykes

[spinny]

I hadn't said anything last night because I plain and simply didn't know what to say, I never thought I'd read this headline with my own two eyes, I know he had health problems but I had no idea it'd boil down to this...

Mr Iwata was a one of a kind person, no one comes close to being even anywhere near this man's work ethic and overall personality. He'd cut half of his own salary to pay others better, he'd reprogram entire games from scratch and he'd do anything to make sure a game hit its decided launch window, and as a president he just gave off such a fun atmosphere; he was professional, but he was such a goddamn memelord too and he fucking loved being that way. My heart just really aches as I try to type this and think of words for it.

I'm sure you're elsewhere now, providing happiness to others in a different place. Rest in peace.

[YoshiAngemon]

I wish Shigeru Miyamoto and Genya Takeda the best of luck until they find a successor.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

I woke up in the morning, all set for the Stevenbomb 3, with Boom and GF in tow.

Instead, A flood of saddness washed the place, for the tragic news broke out: Mr. Iwata has died. (goddammit he passed away two days ago! ;_;)

I... don't know what to say.

Losing him is like losing one of your family members. All the good times you had, and all the stuff you had seen, and all the games Iwata had in store for you...

And just like that. He's gone. It wasn't going to last long.

Think about it. He was no ordinary person. I mean COME ON! Remember this-

Or this?

Or this?

Even this?

(Okay that's a lot of gifs, sorry for making you sad)

This man is a genius. He was friendly and funny. We need more people like him. I'm gonna miss this guy.

My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends and everyone in Nintendo who knew him so well. 

Never forget his legacy.

Thank you Mr Iwata, for making Nintendo what it is today.

Rest In Peace you dear soul.

[Shade Vortex]

I woke up to this news, and I was pretty surprised. I did not expect to see this, not so soon or so suddenly.

Obviously, Iwata's influence on Nintendo, and the game industry and the community as a whole are very evident, and it's amazing to see that his death proves how important he was- so many people uniting together to mourn the loss of one man. His legacy is to be remembered, and he's brought us many memories and he worked hard to make gaming, and a company what it should be- fun for everyone and dedicated towards the fans.

Not only were his programming achievements notable, but you must also remember- this man was basically responsible for the Wii as well. Without him, Nintendo would not be what it is today- and for better or worse, Nintendo will never be the same without him. So many people respect him rightfully, and of course so do I.

This man worked his way up all the way from a programmer at HAL Laboratory and ended up as President of Nintendo, and as we can see, it was well-deserved. May he continue serve as inspiration, for even in death, he can be remembered for what he stood for, what he accomplished, and everything that made him who he was. He will forever be a role-model to many people, and just as he kept on going despite his failing health, I'll keep on going despite this depressing news.

Rest in peace, Satoru Iwata. You felt more like a friend or family member than a corporate president.

[Kaze no Klonoa]

http://smashboards.com/threads/satoru-iwata-has-passed-away.409941/

His funeral will be on the 17th, and will be held by his wife and Nintendo.

[PSI Wind]

I......don't really know what to say, even now, at least 12 hours after the news broke through. When I was a kid, I had trouble developing due to my aspergers making my brain work too hard and too fast. One idea that was suggested to me to keep my brain busy and focused on one thing was video games. This was back when Pokemon was still fairly huge and I always woke up on Saturday mornings watching the anime. One of my first video games that I played and owned was the second generation of Pokemon. I was hooked on it the moment I got my first starter Pokemon and went on a journey that literally changed me. My brain was always focused on my game, how to beat this gym leader, getting to the next town, catching more Pokemon. I was able to cope with my disability because of Pokemon. 

Years went by, and I discover that the creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Taijiri, is diagnosed with the same disability as me. I was so shocked, yet happy, that the creator of the franchise that would shape me into a more "normal" person had a similar problem. Years later again though, I learned that while Satoshi is responsible for the creation of the franchise, it was Mr. Iwata himself that programmed and compressed G/S/C to what it became. I still have fond memories of discovering that not only did I have Johto to explore, but the entire Kanto region as well. I never played the original games, but I knew that region from watching the show and was so excited to make the game go on even longer. Iwata also helped Melee reach its deadline, and I became hooked on even more Nintendo franchises as well as many amazing memories fighting in that game with my cousin and friends. 

Iwata not only shaped my childhood like so many others, he helped me cope. He helped me live better. He helped me develop into the person I am today. All with one simple cartridge with a picture of a strange, mystical creature on it.

Thank you, Mr. Iwata. "I'll miss you".