Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has passed away aged just 55, according to reports from within the company. His death comes following an operation last week that was initially reported to have gone well, aimed at solving a bile duct growth, but it seems Mr Iwata passed away on the 11^th of this month, leaving the company without an active president for the moment.

Appointed as Director in 2000, Mr Iwata oversaw the change in Nintendo from a competitor to Sega and Sony’s more traditional gaming machines to what the company is today, namely a multinational aimed at providing entertainment for all ages. Serving as President from 2002 until his death earlier this week, Mr Iwata was only the fourth man to hold that role in the history of the firm, and the first not to be a member or relative of the founding Yamauchi family.

Born in Sapporo, Mr Iwata actually began his career in gaming at HAL Laboratories, the makers of Super Smash Bros Melee, as well as working on Earthbound and Kirby during his time at that company. His replacement as President of Nintendo and CEO of Nintendo USA has not been named, but with Mr Iwata being named one of the top 100 CEOs in the world and overseeing a revolution in the firm it will be a careful decision Nintendo make.

His impact on gaming, and eSports, is not to be understated, with Melee one of the longest-running competitive titles due to the incredible depth and high skill ceiling as well as countless Nintendo classics being used for speedruns and casual competition. Aged only 55, Mr Iwata has left the company in a good position with the release of their ‘NX’ console planned for the near future, and leaves a gap not only at Nintendo, but in the wider world of gaming.

Cover Image: VGVisionary