“On my industry card, I’m a company president. In my thoughts, I’m a sport developer. However in my middle, I’m a gamer”.
eleventh July 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of Satoru Iwata’s passing; a person who cemented himself as no longer best a phenomenal chief all the way through instances of each good fortune and failure, however a figurehead that may scouse borrow the hearts of numerous enthusiasts world wide.
It is tricky to in reality say anything else that hasn’t already been expressed sooner or later within the final decade, however we predict it is transparent that Iwata’s presence is still felt in each Nintendo circles and the gaming trade at huge. Certainly, with the hot information of intensive layoffs from Xbox and Microsoft and the turmoil at studios internationally during the last couple of years, many have recounted the phrases spoken via Iwata all the way through a shareholder Q&A consultation in 2013:
“If we cut back the collection of staff for higher momentary monetary effects, on the other hand, worker morale will lower, and I sincerely doubt staff who concern that they is also laid off will be capable of broaden instrument titles that would galvanize other folks world wide.”
Iwata additionally cleared the path for the Transfer — Nintendo’s maximum a success house console of all time — having labored widely at the machine earlier than his passing in 2015. The results of this are nonetheless felt to this very day, with Nvidia paying tribute to Iwata in a up to date video at the Transfer 2:
“I nonetheless have in mind the day Iwata-san shared his dream with us. He sought after to create one thing no-one had observed earlier than: a console robust sufficient for large cinematic video games, however sufficiently small to take any place. It sounded not possible, however that imaginative and prescient become the unique Nintendo Transfer.
“We misplaced Iwata-san earlier than the release, however his readability, his objective, it nonetheless evokes our paintings on a regular basis.”
5 years in the past, former NL editor Tom Whitehead wrote about Iwata’s profession and his legacy, and it is unusual to suppose {that a} complete decade has now handed – and to imagine how the sector has modified in that point. We marvel what Iwata would make of the state of the trade, of Transfer’s good fortune, and of the new console we are taking part in.
All that is left to mention is, neatly, thanks, Iwata-san. Nintendo would no longer be the place it’s lately with out your management, pastime, and want to ship the perfect reviews in gaming.
What are your favorite recollections of Satoru Iwata? Depart a remark together with your tales and ideas down beneath.
