Tag: Satoru Iwata
News FromSoftware Boss Wouldn't Allow Studio Layoffs To Happen, Cites Satoru Iwata
Nintendo's former president famously took a pay cut
The former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had an incredibly positive impact on the video game industry during his lifetime, and it seems FromSoftware's current president (and Elden Ring game director) Hidetaka Miyazaki has drawn from the teachings of this Nintendo legend. Speaking to
News 2004 Satoru Iwata Interview Has Been Remastered And Presented In Full
Legendary CEO discusses Miyamoto, 'Revolution', and more
A previously unpublished interview with the late, great Satoru Iwata has been remasted and presented in full by Adam Doree on YouTube (thanks, Time Extension). Conducted by Doree's website at the time, Kikizo, the interview was originally only available partially back in 2004. The new...
News New Details Emerge On Satoru Iwata's Work On Pokémon Gold And Silver
Long-time rumour debunked
Suppose you're even remotely familiar with the work of Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's beloved President who sadly passed away in 2015. In that case, you'll have no doubt heard the popular rumour surrounding his contribution to 1999's Pokémon Gold And Silver. The rumour goes that Iwata created a compression code that...
News Kickstarter For New Book About Nintendo's Legendary President Satoru Iwata Goes Live
Introducing 'The Impact of Iwata'
The legacy of Nintendo's former president Satoru Iwata lives on, and while we've already had "Ask Iwata" localised by VIZ Media to commemorate his life and contribution to the video games industry over the years, there's now the possibility of a new book. Nintendo Force - the magazine following in the footsteps of...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé Recalls Touching Advice He Received From The Late Satoru Iwata
"You have very good ideas. But you won't always be right."
This week has brought the launch of Disrupting the Game, From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo by Reggie Fils-Aimé, a business leadership book from the former Nintendo of America President that offers plenty of interesting insights. While it's selective and careful about detail it gives...
News Sakurai Believes He Was Able To "Fully Complete" Iwata's Final Mission
The Smash Bros. director is now thinking about what's next
As you might recall, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was the "final mission" assigned to Masahiro Sakurai by the late Satoru Iwata. The Switch entry went on to become a huge success and has now sold over 25 million copies worldwide. After the game shipped, Sakurai's "next mission" was to release...
Book Review Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO
A wonderful insight into Iwata-san, and Nintendo itself
This book review was originally published on 17th April, and we've republished it on 11th July 2021, marking six years since Satoru Iwata passed away. It's been said often that Satoru Iwata wasn't just a CEO of a hugely successful company, he was far more. That sentiment is frequently...
News Ask Iwata: Words Of Wisdom From Satoru Iwata, Available Now And A Lovely Read
"Most of what he had to say involved happiness"
It's possible you've seen the advert on these pages, or read about it plenty of times, and like this writer you may have a hardback copy of Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO on the way. While the book is out fully in some territories, in the UK (for example) the...
News 'Ask Iwata' Tribute Book Will Be Translated Into Ten Other Languages
And it launches in April
Back in July of last year, it was announced that an English-language version of 'Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom', a Satoru Iwata tribute book, was set to published in 2021. That launch is still scheduled to go ahead next month, but it's now been reported that it'll release in plenty of other languages, too. It was originally...
News Ask Iwata Gets An English Release This April
Pre-order now
Update #2 (Fri 8th Jan, 2021 00:30 GMT): Publisher VIZ Media has confirmed the English translation of Ask Iwata will be released here in the west on 13th April 2021. Pre-orders are available now. Update #1 (Tue 28th Jul, 2020 05:45 BST): Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Nintendo's Legendary CEO is available to pre-order on Amazon for...
Feature Remembering Satoru Iwata, Five Years On
A visionary that shaped a gaming generation
Five years ago today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passed away. We're republishing this obituary from 2015 to pay tribute to the great man. Satoru Iwata passed away on 11th July 2015, at 55 years of age. He was Nintendo's 4th company President, and oversaw a period of extraordinary success and then...
Post-launch DLC "already falls outside the mission"
Hobonichi – the company owned by Mother creator Shigesato Itoi – has been publishing new interviews with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai, and during one of these, he speaks about the untimely death of former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. In the interview – translated...
News Late And Beloved Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Would Have Turned 60 Today
He'll be forever missed
Ex-Nintendo president and video game legend, Satoru Iwata, was born on 6th December 1959. Today, he would have celebrated his 60th birthday. Iwata-san stepped up to the role of Nintendo's fourth company president back in 2002, a position he held right up until his untimely passing in July 2015. If you followed Nintendo...
News Reggie Asked To Speak To Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Before Accepting The NOA Job
"It actually was a bit of a disruption in the process."
In an interview with GameDaily.biz, former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé has shed some more light on his legacy at Nintendo and his relationship with Satoru Iwata. In particular, he has shared a story about how during his initial recruitment pr
Talking Point Shuntaro Furukawa Understands, As Iwata Did, The Value Of Experimentation To Nintendo
He's following in grand traditions
Taking over the reigns and responsibility of a treasured company like Nintendo must be daunting at the best of times, but when you're stepping into the shoes of a fan-favourite executive who's built up a cult of personality that inspired multiple memes, it must be particularly nerve-wracking. Just ask Doug Bowser,...
News Satoru Iwata Initially Didn't Want Wii Sports Bundled With Wii In The US, Says Reggie
The Reginator can be quite persuasive
Details are emerging of Reggie Fils-Aimé's 'Leaders in Residence' lecture which he gave yesterday at Cornell University. The hour-long presentation was focused on Reggie's 'principles for next generation leaders', and although the Reginator was held positions at a variety of global companies (Procter and Gamble...
News Unauthorised Translations Of The Satoru Iwata Book "Will Be Subject To Criminal Charges"
An official translation could happen
Recently, a book celebrating the life of late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was released in Japan. Featuring words shared by Iwata-san on the official Nintendo website and contributions from the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto, it has understandably been subject to high demand from gaming fans around the world...
News Shigeru Miyamoto, Like All Of Us, Still Dearly Misses Satoru Iwata
"We never fought about anything"
Four years ago, Nintendo lost CEO Satoru Iwata, arguably one of the most important people in the company's long history. Under Iwata's watchful eye, Nintendo rose to heights it had never before experienced; he oversaw the development of the DS – the company's most successful piece of hardware – and the Wii – a...
News Japan-Exclusive Iwata Asks Interview Translated Into English After 10 Years
Iwata's chat with Final Fantasy: Crystal Bearers exec producer gets us all nostalgic
The Iwata Asks interview series was a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the decisions and processes that go into making video games. They also gave us a glimpse of the personalities behind our favourite games,...
News A Book Celebrating The Life Of Satoru Iwata Announced For Release In Japan
With words from Shigeru Miyamoto
A book aiming to celebrate the life of late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been revealed. It will be released in Japan, although no launch date has currently been set. The book comes from Japanese company Hobonichi - which was founded in June 1998 by EarthBound creator, Shigesato Itoi - and will collect words...
News HAL President Satoshi Mitsuhara Reminisces On His Close Friendship With Satoru Iwata
"We were very close friends"
Many will remember Satoru Iwata as the late president of Nintendo, and particularly as the warm and gentle face of some fantastic Nintendo Direct moments but, of course, he is also well known for his time at Kirby developer HAL Laboratory. While technically being an independent studio, HAL has always been very closely...
News Today Marks The Third Anniversary Of Beloved Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's Passing
Thanks for playing
A man who hardly needs any introduction on these pages, Satoru Iwata became president of Nintendo back in 2002, overseeing a truly golden era for the company with the releases of consoles such as the Nintendo DS and Wii. Today marks the third anniversary of his passing on 11th July 2015. Iwata-san's main objective throughout his...
Random This Fan-Made Satoru Iwata amiibo Gives Us The Feels
"In my heart, I am a gamer"
Yesterday would have been Satoru Iwata's 58th birthday. The Nintendo president tragically passed away in 2015 and left behind a striking legacy within the games industry, having overseen some of the company's biggest commercial and critical successes. Since his passing, many within the industry have done their best...
News Nintendo Acknowledges Iwata Tribute On Switch, But Has "Nothing To Announce"
"So that’s that"
Remember the secret game of NES Golf hidden inside each and every Switch console? It would seem Nintendo is prepared to officially acknowledge the existence of this hidden gem - taken by many to be a tribute to the late Satoru Iwata - but that's about it. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, when asked by
Rumour Switch's Hidden NES Golf Game Is A Tribute To The Late Satoru Iwata
"Nintendo imbedded Iwata’s game to watch over every unit"
A while back we reported on the news that each and every Switch console has a hidden copy of the NES game Golf inside it, and now we're seeing evidence that would suggest its placement is a tribute to the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who passed away in 2015. Switchbrew has...
Editorial Satoru Iwata's Vision for Gaming Continues to Shine Through Nintendo
Two years on from Iwata-san's passing, his legacy endures
It was two years ago on this date, 11th July, that Satoru Iwata passed away. It reflects the impact he had on the gaming industry that it was a day with a very real emotional impact on so many of us. The majority of his admirers never met him in person, but his unique style of leadership and...
News Zelda: Breath of the Wild Player Believes They've Found a Lovely Satoru Iwata Tribute
It makes for a nice light-touch reference
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is enormous, and one of the joys of the release is the Nintendo community collaborating and sharing discoveries online. One that's been shared with us relates to former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, and what could be a subtle but touching tribute in the game. Sean...
News Iwata Was Watching Over Us, Says Zelda: Breath Of The Wild's Director
"That became a source of motivation, a drive for us to improve"
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is barely a week old, yet it has already become one of the most critically-acclaimed video games of recent memory, scoring a series of perfect review scores and thrilling gamers all over the world. The game is notable for the way in breaks from...
News Shigeru Miyamoto Neatly Sums Up What Made The Late Satoru Iwata So Special
"He'd always be positive, always try to make the impossible happen"
When Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passed away in 2015, it came as a massive shock not just to Nintendo fans, but to the industry as a whole. Iwata had guided the company through one of its most successful periods, and - had his life not been tragically cut short - would no doubt...
News Yoshio Sakamoto Recalls The Moment He Realised Satoru Iwata Was A Programming Genius
"Iwata-san basically made it in three days"
The celebrate the upcoming release of the NES Classic Mini (or Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition system, if you wish), Nintendo commissioned Japanese writer Akinori Sao with interviewing key staff involved with the console's history. One of his interview subjects is Yoshio Sakamoto,...
Video Did You Know Gaming? Pays Tribute to Satoru Iwata in Extended Episode
Never forgotten
We sometimes share videos from the Did You Know Gaming? channel as they can include a lot of interesting trivia and insight into classic games or franchises. This week, however, the channel has switched its tone a little. It's published a 19 minute tribute to former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, discussing and celebrating his...
News This Cart Could Contain The First Code Satoru Iwata Ever Wrote For Nintendo
A little piece of history
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passed away last year at the age of 55. Beloved by gamers and responsible for seeing the company through one of its most successful periods, Iwata started out as a developer in the early 1980s, joining HAL Laboratory and collaborating closely with Nintendo on Famicom titles. It would seem...
News Satoru Iwata Offered Pokémon GO Feedback From His Hospital Bed
Former Nintendo president worked closely on the game
It's been more than a year since Satoru Iwata sadly passed away, leaving behind an enviable legacy in the video game arena. However, his influence is still being felt in one of Nintendo's more recent successes, Pokémon GO. Iwata was the in charge when the bold choice was made to expand...
News Miitomo Contains A Cool Easter Egg Which Pays Tribute To Satoru Iwata
Secrets "directly" to you
Miitomo might not be available globally yet but if you've used our handy guide then you'll know it's pretty easy to get it on your device no matter where you happen to be in the world. Since the game launched there's been a lot of interest - which is perfectly understandable, given that it's Nintendo first serious attempt...
News Satoru Iwata Honoured At GDC 2016 With A Touching Animated Short
Have some tissues ready
The late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata - who sadly passed away last year - has been honoured in a short animated film which pays tribute to the incredible impact he had on the gaming world. Created by Raber Umphenour, Shawne Benson, David Hellman and Chris Kohler, the clip begins with Iwata mulling over gameplay concepts...
Editorial Satoru Iwata Embodied The Playful Brilliance of Nintendo, and His Legacy Will Endure
"In my heart, I am a gamer"
From now until the start of the new year we're going to be republishing some of what we feel are our best features of 2015. Hopefully this will offer the chance for newer readers to catch up on content they might have missed and allow long-time fans to reacquaint themselves with features they enjoyed the first time...
Editorial Gamers Remember and Celebrate Satoru Iwata in Their Own Special Way
His legacy remains
We're going to kick off our run of year-end features with this touching piece by long-time reviewer and news writer Tim Latshaw. He reflects on the way gamers commemorated and remembered Satoru Iwata following his passing, and how his legacy lives on. An interesting form of tribute to Satoru Iwata was observed in the weeks...
News Splatoon And Super Mario Maker Honoured At The Game Awards 2015
Satoru Iwata gets a special tribute, too
The Game Awards 2015 took place in Los Angeles last night, and while Nintendo didn't choose to show off any new games or make any groundbreaking announcements, the company did come away with three (and not two, as we previously reported) awards. Super Mario Maker was awarded Best Family Game, while Splatoon...
News We Could See New Nintendo Stuff At The Game Awards 2015, As Well As A Tribute To Satoru Iwata
Producer Geoff Keighley does some teasing
The Game Awards 2015 takes place in a few days, and producer Geoff Keighley has been answering a few questions about the event via Periscope - and it would appear that the event could hold a few surprises for Nintendo fans. Keighley stated that NX won't be making an appearance at the show - hardly a shock,...
Video Gaming Historian Pays Tribute To The Late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata
Has someone been chopping onions?
Many of us are still coming to terms with Satoru Iwata's passing. Nintendo's president was a much-loved and admired leader in the video game industry who guided the company through some of the most significant periods of its long and proud history. We've shared many of the Gaming Historian's videos on Nintendo Life...
News 1993 Kirby's Adventure Interview Reveals Cut Content, Alternative Names And Why Kirby Is Pink
"Normally a character like Kirby would have been yellow"
Kirby is now a firmly-established member in Nintendo's vast catalogue of intellectual properties, but back in 1993 he was very much a newcomer looking to prove himself - as this fascinating interview from the period attests. Freshly translated by Shumplations.com, the feature originally...
News Nintendo Direct Broadcasts Will Continue Despite Iwata's Passing
"But we have no details to provide now"
Nintendo has told IGN that its popular Nintendo Direct broadcasts will continue in some form, but at the moment it is unable to provide specific details. Here's what a Nintendo representative told the site: Nintendo Directs will continue, but we have no details to provide now on who will be featured or the...
News Tatsumi Kimishima Named As New Nintendo President
Former Nintendo of America boss gets the nod
Since the tragic and untimely passing of Satoru Iwata, there has been much speculation about who will assume his role as President of Nintendo. Since Iwata's death the company has been overseen jointly by Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda, and many felt that one of the pair would eventually take up the...
News Analysts Suggest That Nintendo's Quality Of Life Initiative Has Been "Put On The Back Burner"
Could Iwata's passing have put the brakes on QOL?
Industry analysts are suggesting that Nintendo's much-hyped Quality of Life project has been quietly mothballed following the untimely death of company president Satoru Iwata. Originally announced at the start of 2014, QOL hasn't been all that visible in Nintendo's current plans, and the death of...
News Genyo Takeda The Likely Choice For Nintendo President, Analysts Claim
More likely than Shigeru Miyamoto
Following the tragic death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata there has been much speculation on who will take on his role within the company. Shigeru Miyamoto's name has been brought up - a logical choice, given his fame in the games industry - but it would appear that the smart money is on Genyo Takeda, who gave a...
News Super Smash Bros. Creator Pays Tribute To His Former Superior And Friend, Satoru Iwata
"My mind went white and even now the reality hasn’t sunk in"
Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has used his column in Weekly Famitsu to pay tribute to his former superior at HAL Laboratory, Satoru Iwata. Iwata passed away recently after a long battle with cancer, and Sakurai says that after hearing the sad news his "mind went white and...
News Industry Analysts Speculate On Nintendo's Future And Satoru Iwata's Possible Successor
"Iwata was infectiously enthusiastic about Nintendo"
Following the tragic loss of Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata last week, it was inevitable that thoughts would quickly turn to Nintendo's future. Beyond his business leadership, and the successes he delivered, Satoru Iwata will also be remembered for his humour and humility when fulfilling...
News Nintendo Releases Genyo Takeda's Full Eulogy from Satoru Iwata's Funeral
"You were a true leader in every sense of the word"
At the end of a long and difficult week for Nintendo employees, fans and many involved in the gaming industry, it seems fitting that Nintendo has released Genyo Takeda's full eulogy from Satoru Iwata's funeral, which took place on 17th July. Takeda-san, currently co-leading the company on an...
Thousands pay respect to former company President
Satoru Iwata's funeral took place on 17th July in Kyoto, bringing a respectful farewell to the former Nintendo President. Iwata-san's final resting place in Kyoto has been visited by around 3000 people in the last few days who sought to pay their respects. The funeral itself was attended by a number...
News Nintendo Offers Humble Thanks For Condolences Following Satoru Iwata's Funeral
Gives "heartfelt gratitude" to those that attended the service
Following his untimely and devastating passing earlier this week, Satoru Iwata's funeral has now been held in Japan. The Nintendo President passed away on 11th July, aged 55, with the company issuing a notification on 13th July. The official Nintendo Twitter account has now shared its...
