I am a Nintendo fangirl, through and through. They had my undivided attention at Super Mario World and then took my heart with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. So to hear that the beloved genius behind many games at the Japanese company left our lives a bit too soon, it’s easy to say it’s been an emotional day.
Many people today are playing Nintendo games in honor of Satoru Iwata, who was the CEO of Nintendo for 23 years. Iwata passed away July 11th at the young age of 55 from complications from a cancerous mass in his bile duct. Another hero, genius, and overall amazing man was taken before his time.
Over the last 24 hours, the outpouring of love from the gaming community in honor of Iwata has been overwhelming, to say the least. #ThankYouIwata has been a heavily trending topic on Twitter with fans, both corporate and individual, sending out their heartbroken grievances. Whether you play video games now or have in the past, I guarantee the work that Iwata put into Nintendo has helped shape the games you play.
In remembrance of Mr. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo will not be posting on our social media channels today. pic.twitter.com/N2kR0OKEXh
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 13, 2015
#ThankYouIwata #RIPIwata pic.twitter.com/5ZUBBZVIHv — mango❤️ (@mangocreates) July 13, 2015
Thank you for everything, Mr. Iwata.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) July 13, 2015
Sad day for Iwata-san’s family, friends, and gamers everywhere. His passion, creativity & leadership elevated our industry.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 13, 2015
Itoi posted a farewell to his friend #SatoruIwata this morning – translated by Yomuka/Lindsay Nelso pic.twitter.com/AveGqd9ExS
— Matthew Morandi (@Yoshi1up) July 13, 2015
I am beyond heartbroken to hear about the passing of my friend Satoru Iwata. He was a gamer, a developer and a champion for our medium. RIP — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
I first met Satoru Iwata at TGS in 2005 when I interviewed him for G4. He spoke in Japanese and showed off the Nintendo Wii controller.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
So at the end of the interview, after the cameras were off, he turned to me and started speaking in English. — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
“Geoff, I really liked out interview. I can tell you are a gamer so I wanted to show you something.” He turned the controller sideways.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
He held it like an NES controller with D-pad and the A B buttons. He smiled, I think to hint at Virtual Console. I’ll always remember that. — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
I felt a great connection with him then, he wanted gamers to know that Nintendo would always think of us. He was such an honorable man.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
His smile said so much. He was and is one of us. He loved game, and wanted to make the world a better place with them. And he did. — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) July 13, 2015
Thank you Satoru Iwata, for your talents in development and your genius in leadership. You will be missed. #RIPIwata pic.twitter.com/a44K8gGrlc
— Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) July 13, 2015
The touching #RIPIwata art we shared this morning was made by the talented @ruistyfles: http://t.co/tqEa9Cy5bj https://t.co/kyQUc9OnHQ — KONAMI Europe (@konamieu) July 13, 2015
What a sad day. #RIPIwata. Your talent and vision will live on, but the Games Industry won’t be the same without you. pic.twitter.com/e862SGZSBD
— Lionhead Studios (@LionheadStudios) July 13, 2015
Thank you Mr. Iwata for bringing us countless lifetimes of entertainment. #NintendoDay pic.twitter.com/j70rFS6viF — Twitch (@Twitch) July 13, 2015
#ThankYouIwata, for all the inspiration, fun, love and passion @lucyamorris http://t.co/DGj5OZDlQY pic.twitter.com/TRitaoY7WR
— Sonja van Vuure (@sipsapson) July 13, 2015
We here at PopWrapped are undoubtedly saddened by the news, and I for one will be going back to play through The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past in his honor… once these tears on my face dry up.
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