Nintendo has released an announcement to let everyone know that their former company president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, has passed away at the age of 85. Yamauchi was born in Kyoto, Japan, and took over the position as Nintendo president in 1949 from his grandfather, who had health complications.
In the company’s early days, Nintendo was known as a trading card company, but during his presidency Yamauchi took Nintendo to the edge of electronic entertainment superstardom in the 1980s. Nintendo produced its early arcade products under Yamauchi, and it was he who chose to place his trust in a young Shigero Miyamoto—giving him the job of producing an arcade game. What game? It became the turning point in the company’s history: Donkey Kong.
As time moved on and Nintendo grew stronger, the company would position itself in the electronic entertainment industry and the largest console manufacturer in the world. During his presidency, Nintendo saw the release of the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, and GameBoy portable systems.
In 2002, Yamauchi stepped down from the position, after more than 50 years as head of the company. He was succeeded by Satoru Iwata.
That said, he never fully stepped away from Nintendo, remaining as chairman on the Board of Directors until 2005, and the company’s largest shareholder even further.
Nintendo Fire would like to express our condolences to the family of this gaming industry visionary in this difficult time.
