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R.I.P. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata

The fan-favorite executive worked with Nintendo for over 30 years.

Satoru Iwata was known for his humorous appearances in the company's
Satoru Iwata was known for his humorous appearances in the company's "Nintendo Direct" video series.

Moments ago, Nintendo of Japan issued a short notification announcing the death of company president Satoru Iwata. He was 55.

The full text of Nintendo's statement was as follows:

Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth.

Iwata first started working for Nintendo “second-party” developer HAL Laboratories while he was still in college over 30 years ago. In 2000, he joined Nintendo of Japan as head of corporate planning, and in 2002 Iwata stepped into the role of president.

Throughout his tenure, Iwata worked on a number of innovative games and initiatives for the company, including Kirby's Adventure, Earthbound, the Nintendo DS, and the Wii. Most recently, Iwata oversaw the agreement made with mobile developer DeNA, which will allow the company to bring Nintendo properties to smartphones. Throughout his career, Iwata’s vision for Nintendo was built around the idea that people from various walks of life and across generations could all enjoy games.

Iwata was also well known for his public-facing presidency. He was good humored in the company’s “Nintendo Direct” video series, and in the Q&A series “Iwata Asks,” the president spoke candidly and deeply with game developers.

His trademark candor and humor will be sorely missed.

444 Comments

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Mirado

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Edited By Mirado

Poor Iwata. He presided over some real ups and downs in Nintendo's history, and he'll certainly be missed. One of the few corporate figures that had next to zero negativity surrounding him.

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Naoiko

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I am honestly at a loss for words. Mr. Iwata has brought so much joy into my life from his work with nintendo, and from his silly often candid ways he interacted with fans. My deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends. I truly mean this when I say he will be missed.

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FrostyRyan

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god fucking dammit

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GERALTITUDE

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Wow, very stunned. No clue what to say right now.

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SuperSnooch

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RIP President Iwata

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Strife777

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Wow. I knew he was sick, but man... That sucks.

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baltimore

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Edited By baltimore

RIP Iwata-san.

You will be missed.

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icicle7x3

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Thank you, Iwata, for everything you've done for us. You will never be forgotten.

RIP

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muffinduck01

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Damn, that's a hell of a shock.

RIP Mr. Iwata.

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liquiddragon

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as a lifelong gamer, this is truly at heavy blow. thanks for everything you did for nintendo and gaming.

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ZolRoyce

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Edited By ZolRoyce

Put me in for another holy shit, that's so sudden and too soon, damn... of the big three (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo) I always thought Nintendo had the best sense of humor about itself and he was a big part of that.
Damn. And with E3 having just happened, and the next project Nintendo had going, the next Zelda they had going which looked cool. UHg, UHG, this stinks.

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Residentrevil2

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Man, tragic news. I haven't owned a Nintendo console since GameCube, but I still respected Iwata. My condolences to his family.

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NoobSauceG7

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Edited By NoobSauceG7

:*( RIP Iwata. We will miss you deeply

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Hennet_sim

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Edited By Hennet_sim

“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer” - Satoru Iwata

Nintendo was my childhood so I want to thank him for everything he did for them, & may he rest in peace.

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deactivated-58513b27f2513

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I was hopeful he'd beat that sickness. Rest in Peace, Iwata.

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bennyboy

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RIP :(

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TheHT

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:(

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shtinky

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Very tragic and sad news.The man contributed greatly to Nintendo and this industry. He will be remembered as a true legend. RIP, Iwata.

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UltimAXE

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Total bummer. I loved him in the Nintendo Directs; the way he's sort of awkwardly stand there, motionless, and speak in his slow (but still very good) English. Seemed like a charming fellow.

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capt_ventris

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Edited By capt_ventris

Vale

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BizarroZoraK

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I'm not entirely familiar with Iwata's contributions to gaming, but he always struck me as one of the few "powers-that-be" in the industry that genuinely cared about the titles his company was producing. His commitment to helping put smiles on gamer's faces was unparalleled.

RIP Iwata-san.

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ShaggE

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Wow, what? Damn... RIP.

I'm not the biggest fan of modern Nintendo, but I do think Iwata was always a breath of fresh air in an increasingly jaded industry. Same with Reggie and Miyamoto... for all my issues with Nintendo, those guys seem to be of a rare breed that remembers that games are about fun, and they always keep that passion on their sleeves.

Plus, Iwata was so instrumental in shaping Nintendo and HAL Labs. I think it's safe to say we lost an icon here. Man...

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ajamafalous

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Wow :(

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DrDarkStryfe

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Edited By DrDarkStryfe

This young industry has not lost many of the great people that have helped shaped it, but Mr. Iwata is definitely one of the most impactful we have lost.

Genyo Takeda is the acting Representative Director. It will either be him, or Tatsumi Kimishima that will get the nod if they keep it internal. Remember that Iwata was co-president of NoA, so they did not fully trust Reggie to run things on his own.

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myniceicelife

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Absolutely heartbreaking. Thoughts and prayers to Mr. Iwata's family, friends and Nintendo. You will be missed. :(

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Typho

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He always seemed like such a genuine and passionate guy, he will be missed :(

My toughts go out to his friends and family.

Thanks for all the great gaming moments and memories i've had because of you.

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devine1210

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RIP

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liako21

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damn....RIP Iwata :(

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SkaNinja

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He was one of a kind...

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soimadeanaccount

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Edited By soimadeanaccount

Wow what the hell. He just did the share holders meeting right? I remember the his hospital visit last year, maybe it was really troubling.

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Slow_pC

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A very sad day as well... RIP Mr Iwata.... RIP

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deactivated-5909e94ba2838

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Iwata was a god dam treasure, he was one of the very few who i could look to and feel confident he had everyone's best interest at heart.

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jacksukeru

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I'm sad.

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IndoorRB

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Oh man. Sorry.

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KrisL

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Terrible, terrible news. Thoughts go out to his family and friends. RIP.

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Dan_CiTi

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He was so special and I hope he isn't the last of his kind to be President of Nintendo, as a programmer who did a whole lot of work for many games over the years, he was just so lovingly dedicated to making Nintendo and its games the best they could be. He just dearly wanted to make everyone happy, and he really did. While this wasn't completely out of left field, it still came far too soon. He will be missed dearly. Rest in Peace Iwachi. :(

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violet_

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goddamn

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IcarusFoundYou

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A president that truly cared about video games.

He will be missed

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willyownka

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God damn..... RIP

Thanks for all your hard work Iwata-san.

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hoshinosenshi

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Edited By hoshinosenshi

Far too soon for me to handle this. Mr. Iwata was a pioneer who, even during the hard times, kept pushing.

お疲れ様そしてありがとう;;

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evolvedtolive

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I'm crying.

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Onemanarmyy

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Edited By Onemanarmyy

Sad news

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paulunga

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Well, he was dealing with some health issues recently. He will be missed. RIP

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J4mm1nJ03

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Hard to believe, and something that I don't want to. Earthbound is one of my all-time favorite games. :( Rest in Paradise, Mr. Iwata.

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MocBucket62

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RIP Iwata. As someone who's owned a Nintendo DS and Wii, I want to thank Iwata for his contributions to those systems and joy I had playing on the DS and Wii. He also seemed to have such a goofy and brilliant sense of humor in the Nintendo Directs. This is a big loss for the games industry and he'll truly be missed.

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Mycroft_Ampersand

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Such a sad and tragic loss. My condolences to Iwata's family.

Thank you for all the incredible memories. It was playing the NES as a child that made playing games a lifelong pastime.

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CrusaderEsper

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I knew he wasn't doing that well but man... 55 is way too early to go.

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AngriGhandi

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Aw, man :(

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benderunit22

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Sad day for all of video games. He will be missed. My deepest condolences to his family.

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ThePilgrums

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I've been a huge Earthbound and Kirby fan for what feels like forever. That makes this all the more upsetting. He seemed like a great, kind man that cared deeply for his employees and the games industry. Not because it was his job, but from a true admiration of games and their creators. One of a kind.