Satoru Iwata Has Passed Away

[CT Legion]

The world has lost a truly great man.
Rest well Mr. Iwata, you've earned it.

 

[ElliotDotson]

He will be deeply missed.

 

[ShinyGirafarig]

I went to the Nintendo World Store yesterday to sign at the memorial table. I wrote how his contribution to Nintendo helped me through my rough childhood and wrote how thankful I was that he contributed to making a Pokemon game that introduced my favorite Pokemon. I then drew a Girafarig.

 

[TylerBlackRunIt]

R.I.P the 4th Nintendo Hokage Satoru Iwata...

 

[Strider755]

He may not have been the best CEO, but as a designer, this man will always be a legend. May your soul depart in peace, Iwata-san.

 

[Drexel]

May Lady Palutena grant you your well-deserved wings Mr. Iwata. You'll never be forgotten!

 

[Dastardly Ridleylash]

I just noticed; Google never put up a doodle for Iwata, but they immediately put up a doodle for the Pluto flyby by New Horizions. :/

 

[GaMeR N1CK]

this man has sacrificed so much for people. he's one of the last relevant video game employee who i think actually knew what people wanted in gaming.

 

[Icegod101]

 

[Rage NF]

Mr. Satoru Iwata is a great man, hard worker and exceptional person. Thank you so much for all wonderful things that you gave us.

 

[Iceweasel]

ftfy

Right click on the image, then click "copy image location" to link it properly. What you've just done is tried to link a HTML file as an image file.

 

[CaP_Omega]

The man that has allowed so many wonderful dreams put into program that I place my heart so deeply in. He died on my birthday, of cancer, a disease ingrained into my family. What a cursed fate this is, how I mourn it.

 

[Reggie Amiibo]

I've been trying my best to not cry, but the more I see tributes to him, the harder it gets.

He was a great man and gamers and the gaming industry will always miss him.

He's one of the reasons we have Smash Bros. in the first place, as well as lots of other classics.

Nintendo Directs will never be the same again, rest in peace Iwata, while you may be gone, the memory of you will never leave us.

I wish he could see all these tributes to him.

 

[Cancel]

Thanks Mr. Iwata for getting me through some hard times with your games. You will be in my memory forever.

 

[Lugihui]

He made me go into tears, rest in peace to the guy who saved the industry. He is going directly to heaven...

 

[The Smashor]

 

[TNTpancake]

Man Nintendo directs, no NINTENDO won't be the same without this man! May you rest in peace. This time we understand

 

[Airplanepilot501]

Satoru Iwata thank you for your contributions to Nintendo and the gaming industry. My condolences go out to your family.
R.I.P Iwata-San.

 

[Pazzo.]

Looks like Bill Trinen cancelled his EVO appearance... Probably out of respect to Mr. Iwata.

 

[ElliotDotson]

Thank you Mr. iwata for the wii earth bound super smash and everything else you made.

 

[weegee the green wonder]

We will all miss you Iwata...I have named my pikachu in pokemon yellow after you so that you will live on...R.I.P.

 

[MoKiller]

Rest In Piece, Iwata-Sama. We would all like to thank you for all that you have done.

 

[AdhesiveMadMan]

I never really watched Nintendo Directs, but this news is terrible. RIP

 

[HappyW@nderer]

I'm so sad about this. It's awful that I could cry. R.I.P Iwata-sensei. We will miss you.

 

[Darkgamer200229]

thank you Iwata for the great things you made

 

[fenyx4]

Here's a nice compilation I found on Reddit that details many people's reactions from the videogame industry: http://www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/3d59t0/video_game_industry_reactions_to_satoru_iwatas/

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My comments from The PokeCommunity Forums (original post):

I heard the news about Satoru Iwata's passing on the BBC World Service radio program in the wee hours of the morning; it is still a bit startling and difficult to process... My condolences to Satoru Iwata's family, friends, and close colleagues. Satoru Iwata's legacy in the videogaming industry will be remembered... It's going to be strange whenever I go to watch past Nintendo Direct presentations featuring him...I liked how he took the time to even attempt speaking English for international, non-Japanese audiences. The numerous Iwata Asks interviews that he conducted were also nice repositories that held hidden gems of videogame information, and the banter between Iwata and the interviewees was nice to read; here's hoping that those featured interviews get preserved in some form.

Satoru Iwata's programming exploits were also marvels to learn about; nowadays, he is practically synonymous with the principle of "Genius Programming" for me.. Without Iwata, Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver Versions would probably be a lot smaller and less noteworthy due to their omission of Kanto and the Kanto Gym Leaders, as well as some of Johto's other features that otherwise would not have made the cut... Additionally, the feats of masterfully porting the core series' battle code to the Nintendo 64's Pokémon Stadium without crucial documents, concisely getting Super Smash Bros. Melee ready for launch, and recoding EarthBound/Mother 2 to a manageable state...Iwata's work remains phenomenal. Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., and EarthBound/Mother may not have turned out as the franchises they are today without Iwata's help, even during the conceptual and developmental phases of games.

Coming off of the backlash of E3 2015 and Iwata's earnest declaration that Nintendo would improve for future presentations (as well as Iwata's selfless pay-cut during Nintendo's Wii U financial woes), this news is especially tragic; I was hoping to see him and Nintendo as a whole rebound at E3 2016 and/or in near-future Nintendo Directs. I've heard that he hasn't attended E3 recently (E3 2014 and E3 2015?) due to ill health, although it's nice that he still took the time to help out regarding Nintendo Direct presentations and the epic E3 2014 Digital Event. It's so strange to see someone so energetic one day, and passing away mere days later.. Nintendo has again lost a great gaming icon succeeding from Hiroshi Yamauchi, but I have hope that the company can pull through and revitalize gaming in a way that stems from Iwata's vision. It's nice to see even companies like Sony and Microsoft put aside differences with Nintendo and unite to pay respects with others in this sorrowful event. The fanart and mourning comments from outlets like PokéCommunity, Smashboards, numerous subreddits (Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., Nintendo) are just so moving, not to mention the touching remarks from Iwata's Nintendo colleagues such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Masahiro Sakurai, and Junichi Masuda. ;-;

Rest in peace, Satoru Iwata; may God bless your soul. You will be greatly missed. Thanks for the wonderment of "Directly To You" and "Please Understand", as well as your cherished programming skills, interviews, and presentations! While we lack a proper 1UP, may your ripples in the videogaming industry continue to breathe new life into videogames for generations to come.

EDIT: A lot of people seem to be posting "Smiles and Tears" from EarthBound/Mother 2 in remembrance; while I await to hear the song in its proper context, it seems to be fitting for the day...

I also found this touching image on Pokemon Showdown's "Video Games" room:

 

[king_kaiju52]

Iwata was a great man he was the one of the main programmers smash melee and he will be missed r.i.p Satoru Iwata