Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata died of cancer on Saturday. The company provided a specific reason on Monday (pdf), saying that his passing was the result of a bile duct growth. Satoru Iwata was 55 years old.
Nintendo’s announcement did not provide any clues as to who will replace Iwata. However, Reuters reports that Genyo Takeda will lead the committee that will handle Iwata’s funeral, which, according to the report, indicates that Takeda will take a “leadership role” in the company.
“I am surprised at this sudden news and overcome with sadness," said Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto. "The entire development team at Nintendo will remain committed to our development policy which Mr. Iwata and we have been constructing together and to yield the development results which Mr. Iwata would appreciate."
The death of Iwata arrives as the company enters new territory: mobile. Iwata fought long and hard against the move despite what the investors wanted until just recently. The company made a deal with mobile developer DeNA to create mobile apps for iOS and Android based on popular Nintendo properties.
That said, Nintendo will need to choose a CEO and President that will carry out the company’s mobile endeavors. Nintendo believes this deal with DeNA will double its annual operating profit in the year ending March 2016.
Iwata joined Nintendo back in 2000. At the age of 42, he became president of the company in 2002, succeeding Hirosha Yamauchi and becoming the first president that wasn’t related to the Yamauchi family. He also served as Nintendo of America’s CEO starting in 2013.
Iwata was a hands-on executive, speaking directly to the company’s customers. That included the Nintendo Direct series, which launched in 2011, and his “Iwata Asks” section on Nintendo’s Wii website. He was essentially the voice of Nintendo for many, many gamers throughout the years.
To honor Iwata, Nintendo of America is taking a day of silence across all social media outlets. At Nintendo’s headquarters, the flags have been lowered at half-mast. Even the PlayStation Twitter account thanks Iwata for everything he has done.
“There are CEOs who make a difference to the lives of the people - Satoru Iwata was one of the few who did,” tweeted Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Iwata. You will be missed.
From maximumpc
from http://bit.ly/1gxTbCr
