bu. Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Legendary Nintendo boss Hiroshi Yamauchi dies at 85 The former president of Nintendo, and one of the most influential businessmen the video games world has ever seen, has passed away in Japan. Although Yamauchi never made a single game himself, and reportedly didn’t even like to play them, few people in history have had as much influence on the video games industry as he has. Yamauchi joined Nintendo in 1949 (the history of the company stretches back to 1889) and became chairman in the 1970s, when he took the company public. It is he that steered Nintendo from a maker of playing cards and other ventures to arguably the most influential video games company in the world. He oversaw the introduction of the NES in the early ‘80s and was partly responsible for hiring a young Shigeru Miyamoto, following an introduction from a mutual friend of his father. Yamauchi instituted working practises that are still followed by Nintendo today, including multiple research and development groups that are encouraged to compete with each other in terms of technology and innovation. Continuing as president through the SNES, Nintendo 64, and GameCube eras Yamauchi saw Nintendo through all its highs and lows, until he stepped down from his role as president in 2002. He was succeeded by current president Satoru Iwata. Despite stepping down from his main role Yamauchi remained closely involved with the company and is credited with being partially responsible for the concept behind the Nintendo DS – the most successful video games hardware ever made. He also remained Nintendo’s largest shareholder and was one of Japan’s richest men, with a net worth of approximately £1.6 billion. Details of Yamauchi’s death have not been revealed, but Nintendo has released this short statement: ‘Nintendo is in mourning today from the sad loss of the former Nintendo president Mr Hiroshi Yamauchi, who sadly passed away this morning’. For those interested in his life and the early days of Nintendo we strongly recommend David Sheff’s book Game Over, although it currently seems to be out of print at Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Rest in peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyna ♔ Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 He lived a long life, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bu. Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Indeed he did. Rest In peace! Nintendo was a huge part of the entertainment when I was a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Roll Hall of Game Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Truly a pioneer.. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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