Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata dies at 55

New Delhi: President and CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, passed away on Saturday at the age of 55 due to bile duct growth.

Iwata joined as president in 2002 and led Nintendo to epic success with the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles. He formerly worked as a programmer at Nintendo subsidiary HAL, contributing to games like EarthBound, Balloon Fight, and the Kirby series.

He had been a well-known figure to Nintendo followers from his appearances in the
Nintendo Direct broadcasts and his ‘Iwata Asks’ series of interviews with developers.

After his surgery to remove a tumor last year, he bounced back to the spotlight with his
announcements of new initiatives including a move into mobile gaming and a ‘Quality of
Life’ program, The Verge notes.

Given the popularity, Iwata’s sudden demise comes as a major shock even as his health issues were well-publicised.

The world’s largest video gaming company has not announced a successor yet.