Categories: Originals

Remembering the great Satoru Iwata

Earlier this week, we learned the unforunate news of Satoru Iwata's passing. At just 55 years old, Iwata, president of Nintendo, passed away from a bile duct growth. While we've previously gone through Iwata's history as game developer and Nintendo president, a few GameZone writers have decided to come together and remember this legendary man for everything he's meant to us — as a game developer, and as a person.

Samantha Wells

In recent history we've all come to know Satoru Iwata in his final role as the CEO of Nintendo. He crafted the company into its current form and helped to shape modern gaming. But before all that he was a developer. That's how he chose to view himself first and foremost, even in interviews, and that's how I'll remember him. He helped give us games like Kirby and EarthBound, titles that helped to cement my love of gaming as a kid. For me, that'll always be his legacy. A person who embodied genuine passion and dedication to a medium we all love. Thank you, Mr. Iwata.

Jason Lopez

What is there to say about a man like Satoru Iwata? I, like many gamers, am completely heartbroken by the news of his passing. But it's during these times we get the wonderful chance to reflect on the person whose goal was to bring joy, happiness, and fun into people's lives. And Iwata-san left that mark in my household.

Video games, particularly Nintendo franchises, have always had a profound connection to me. But none has had the same effect as Super Smash Brothers. Whether it was my wife joining us for a match, not really knowing which buttons to press, or my younger brother, who loves to seek me out on the big Hyrule battlefield to have epic one-on-one matches, or even getting together with my high school buddies at the end of our sophomore year to have an end-of-year Super Smash Bros. tournament; these games brought something so priceless that is hard to put into words: memories. I have Iwata-san to thank for that. I'm sure he left a similar mark in some way, shape, or form in everyone else's household.

Thank you for the memories Iwata-san. Your mark has been made. Now it's time time to boot up the ole' Gamecube Smash Brothers like old times.

Mike Boccher

Playing Nintendo games since 1985, I’ve grown up on the iconic figures that the company has given us. Mario, Link, Zelda, Donkey Kong just a few characters that have passed the test of time and survived for decades. Not many characters can accomplish this. To this day I remember dancing Christmas morning while my dad video taped me after I opened my original NES. I was 8 years old and remember every word I spoke like it just happened yesterday

When Mr. Iwata took over Nintendo some 15 years ago, Xbox and PlayStation were still an afterthought to me. All the games you may consider “the best" for each character came during Mr. Iwata's tenure. This is not a coincidence. The reason for Nintendo's success is two-fold. One, because it was the first major system after Atari and people, for the most part, fear change. This fear is removed when there is no more reason to fear. Mr. Iwata made sure that never happened by maintaining the integrity of these games. Second, is the emotional attachment players have with these characters. We associate with them as parts of our lives are forever tied to them. Just like that Christmas morning when I was 8 years old, all of you I'm sure have a similar story. The best way to honor Mr. Iwata's memory now is to always remember your story and how it made you feel as that was Mr. Iwata's intention all along. RIP Mr. Iwata.

Mike Splechta

When I first heard of Satoru Iwata's death, it wasn't through social media or other news outlets, it was from a friend and fellow Nintendo fan through a Steam message. "This is the saddest news… Iwata died!" At first I didn't know what to type back. I was shocked.

For years now, Iwata has been the face of Nintendo for me, possibly more than the Reggie-nator himself. When Nintendo started their Direct videos, it eventually stopped feeling like a corporation trying to sell me on their games, but more so a friend sending me a video message, telling me "Hey, this is something we've been working on, you should check it out!" While I personally never got a chance to meet Iwata-san, hearing stories of his developer days as well as anecdotes while he was President and CEO of Nintendo proved to me that he wasn't just a corporate suit, though he certainly wore them in style. The world lost a man who genuinely put Nintendo and its fans well ahead of the bottom line.

Matt Liebl

Admittedly, by the time Satoru Iwata took over has President of Nintendo, I was well cemented into the PlayStation brand. So like Iwata himself, I've always thought of him as a developer first and foremost. Balloon Fight, EarthBound, Kirby, these are just a few games created with Iwata's influence.

As company president, there was something interesting in his unique approach with Nintendo — he was always more fascinated with creating innovative gaming experiences, taking risks (that didn't always work out) that other gaming company's to this day still avoid doing. Iwata was unlike any company head we've seen in the past. He often responded to fans through social media, took a voluntary pay cut when Nintendo's finances were down — that's just the kind of man Iwata was. He wasn't a corporate suit. He was a great developer, and though I never got the chance to meet him personally, I'm sure an even greater man.

Matt Liebl