Masaya Nakamura: Founder of Namco has Departed

[Yoko/葉子]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-01-30/namco-founder-masaya-nakamura-passes-away/.111622

I said I was going to be on a break until tomorrow, but I felt this needed to be said.

Bandai Namco announced that the founder of Namco "ran out of batteries."

He was 91, but he lived a long life and we should be grateful that he was not taken horribly sooner.

No one here has probably not played a Namco game and the gigantic tree of versatile fun he planted has impacted many throughout the decades.

Farewell, Nakamura-sama, we will see you in the aftergame.

Felt it would be appropriate to have a tune from a Namco game go with this event.

[Mr Loopone]

It's a sad day. Even though he wasn't a recognised name in the gaming world even among executives (seems to have kept himself to himself), his contributions towards the gaming industry were massive and Pac-Man along with other arcade games/mascots made it to pop culture and the mainstream. Not just Pac-Man, he also wanted competition in the console market thanks to his frustrations over Nintendo's monopoly supporting the PC Engine, Mega Drive and later the PlayStation to success, even saving a part of Atari too in their early days. I give condolences to anyone in his family or people who knew him. At least he has lived a long life and no known health problems.

If it wasn't for him and many countless staff members at Namco (along with Sega), I probably won't be into gaming since many of the earliest games that I played came from the arcades or the PS1 from them. One point, Sega and Namco were rivals both producing quality content. It was Time Crisis 1/2, Point Blank, Tekken 2/3, Soul Blade, Rage Racer and Ridge Racer Type 4 that got me to respect and held them to high regard.

Rest in peace Mr. Nakamura.

[MightyRay]

Thank you Mr. Nakamura. May you rest easy knowing you've help shape gaming for the better. If it was for you this nerd would never have seen Klonka or Tekken. So thank you again for all of your hard work.