RIP Satoru Iwata (no joke)

[nudemacusers]

Just a wave.

Let that boy cook.

[tiesto]

Really unexpected news. Always liked Iwata, it was nice to see a talented programmer rise through the ranks to become CEO. Sure he had some questionable ideas every so often but also led Nintendo to some absolutely insane success and the game industry was never a dull moment with him around. RIP

[Tasty]

The final pic of Iwata from the final Iwata Asks. It's subtle, but you can tell he's definitely thinner looking here. =(

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

I really hope someone with game dev chops is made president, though. Otherwise I could see the company making a load of rash decisions that'd put its output quality into freefall.

that's the thing, its entirely rare as shit to see anybody with game development history get up to management in the gaming world anymore. Sure, there's lots of development studios that are headed by developers, but how many publishers can you name where you can even say for sure that their shot callers play their own games?

Even if Iwata had never become the head of Nintendo (and he got there by managing what was at the time and arguably still is Nintendo's best internal studio) his achievements in development would still mean that he left a significant mark in gaming history. It sucks that he died, and I hope that Nintendo doesn't falter (well, moreso) because of it.

[Tasty]

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/stock/meeting/140627/

He only publicly announced his health issue June 24, 2014.

Recently, as the result of one of my routine physical examinations, an issue was detected. Following a more detailed examination, a growth was found in my bile duct.

  In general, it is said that a bile duct growth can be difficult-to-treat, partly because of the difficulty of detecting it early. In my case, luckily, it was detected very early and I had no symptoms.

  I was counseled that removal at an early stage would be the desirable medical option. Therefore I had surgery last week, and I came through it well, as predicted.

  I have already resumed my business by email and by other means, but it is anticipated that a little more time is needed for me to return to my regular work schedule.

Fuck cancer.

[brob]

(Image removed from quote.)

The final pic of Iwata from the final Iwata Asks. It's subtle, but you can tell he's definitely thinner looking here. =(

is this why they did the muppet thing for their E3 video?   

[Tasty]

Probably.

[Himu]

You could tell Iwata was really think in a recent Iwata Asks thing. And I was really worried, but I didn't realize it was life threatening.

[Tasty]

http://kamedani.tumblr.com/post/45700864819/mother-2-re-release-discussion-part-1

Iwata: At that point, I told him “I’ll try to get it working” and took what they had made up to that point with me.  Exactly a month after that we got the map scrolling to work and showed it to Itoi-san’s team.  They were all really shocked.

Itoi: Yeah, we were very surprised.  We were all like “Whoa! It’s working!”

Nagata: Wow, development had had that many issues.

Iwata: Everyone was really surprised and the whole environment was oddly tense but to me I had the opposite reaction; it was odd.  We’d only completed a simple task.

Itoi: We hadn’t even been able to do something “simple” for a while.  Now that I think about it, we were in a bad place.  From that point forward we all relied on Iwata-san.  To tell the truth, it took half a year to get everything working.

Nagata: In total, about how long was Mother 2’s development time?

Iwata: Ummm, from the beginning of development it was pretty much 5 years.

Nagata: That’s including the the time you weren’t there, Iwata-san?

Iwata: Yes, 5 years in total.  There were 4 years without me and then I only helped for the final year.

Nagata: Oh? I only just realized now but it only took a year from when you joined the project, Iwata-san?

Iwata: That’s because many of the individual elements were already completed.  The graphics, scenarios, and sound, to name a few, were already completed. The pieces were all there.

Nagata: But it didn’t work, right?

Iwata: No, it didn’t work. (laughs)

Nagata: It’s incredible to think that it took only a year to get such a well-known core RPG like that working and on sale.

The legend.

[T-Short]

(Image removed from quote.)

The final pic of Iwata from the final Iwata Asks. It's subtle, but you can tell he's definitely thinner looking here. =(

is this why they did the muppet thing for their E3 video?   

This is actually what made me suspect he was in poor shape. First the news that he wasn't travelling to LA, then when they did the presentation with puppets instead... I was on a call-in E3 podcast and was planning to make a joke about him being "about to make a Steve Jobs". really glad I didn't make the joke now.

[Take My Breh Away]

I'm more sad that someone went out so suddenly at 55. Seen a lot of people die young close to home. That's no age to go out at for anyone. I'm not gonna cry over something like that but it's gonna be a bummer for the day. 

tl;dr

[archie4208]

Apparently the form of cancer he had only has a 5% survival rate after 5 years. 

[Take My Breh Away]

http://nintendoeverything.com/earthbound-creator-shigesato-itoi-on-iwatas-passing/

It's a terrible day for rain, brehs

spoiler (click to show/hide)

OK, this got me in the heart. I've had way too many close encounters with cancer through family and friends.

Fuck Cancer

[close]

[thisismyusername]

I'm more sad that someone went out so suddenly at 55. Seen a lot of people die young close to home. That's no age to go out at for anyone. I'm not gonna cry over something like that but it's gonna be a bummer for the day. 

tl;dr

http://i.imgur.com/GHH0x7H.png

I dunno a few decades ago that was close to the old life expectancy (60-ish). The major problem is his cancer wasn't detected early to get proper treatment and it's apparently a super aggressive cancer IF it's detected by that point.

[Beezy]

Terrible news. RIP Iwata.

[thisismyusername]

Oh geez.  That turn of chance would be totally bad for Nintendo people.

[Positive Touch]

o man can u imagine if George Lucas took over Nintendo that would be so crazy

[Phoenix Dark]

RIP. I laugh at Nintendo but I'll dap Iwata for being a true believer, funny, and proving me wrong multiple times (DS, Wii, Amiibo). Crazy success.

[thisismyusername]

Ambiio will be his legacy at this point. I seriously doubt the NX will catch on fire.

[Fifstar]

I'm more sad that someone went out so suddenly at 55. Seen a lot of people die young close to home. That's no age to go out at for anyone. I'm not gonna cry over something like that but it's gonna be a bummer for the day. 

tl;dr

http://i.imgur.com/GHH0x7H.png

I dunno a few decades ago that was close to the old life expectancy (60-ish). The major problem is his cancer wasn't detected early to get proper treatment and it's apparently a super aggressive cancer IF it's detected by that point.

Didn't he say that it was detected early though?

[Kara]

Apparently the form of cancer he had only has a 5% survival rate after 5 years. 

If they can remove the growth (which it sounds like that was the case) it's 20%, but it's not a "good" cancer to get, no.

[studyguy]

Cancer's some fucked up shit.
55's way too young to be going out.

[Cheddahz]

I mean, I can completely understand how this might sadden people, for different reasons and on so many levels. But I'll be adding everyone who "can't stop crying" to ignore/block list.

People are crying about this cause Iwata is the only father figure they have ever had

 

[headwalk]

sackboy is the guy who turns up at funeral for the popular bloke and wants everyone to know he's there for them, and all they need to do is call, despite nobody having his number or even remembering who he is.

sonic is the alcoholic everyone assumed was already dead who throws up halfway through the service.

[team filler]

he was legend. no more iwata asks and directs

[mormapope]

http://kotaku.com/today-there-was-a-rainbow-over-nintendos-kyoto-headqua-1717437663?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow



That is actually pretty dope
 

[bork]

That...doesn't even make any sense.  Dude was not Walt Disney.

[Tasty]

he was legend. no more iwata asks and directs

Directs will probably continue, but if you ask me Iwata Asks was his real legacy. So much insight into the development process for so many old and new games. In terms of knowledge gleaned from the development process, the sum total of Iwata Asks probably outpaces EGM, IGN, and any number of enthusiast press sites and magazines.

I'm not sure whether I want them to end, or whether I want them to continue without him. I can't imagine any other CEO interviewing devs like that and being able to interact on such a technical level with interviewees.

[Kara]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=171768080&postcount=8991

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

 

[benjipwns]

That...doesn't even make any sense.  Dude was not Walt Disney.

[Tasty]

Huh. I wonder if there'll be an Iwata statue at Universal whenever the Nintendo part opens.

[Rahxephon91]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=171768080&postcount=8991

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

This is getting pathetic. I get it, he was a personable ceo but people are acting like he created Nintendo and all it's games. All these posts about how he defined thier childhood are so off putting and reek of Nintendo fetishising.

[benjipwns]

I just wish the grieving process would get over so these people could start digging into exactly what kind of underhanded tactics Sony and Microsoft (most likely Microsoft) are playing with here.

[Trent Dole]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=171768080&postcount=8991

This is getting pathetic. I get it, he was a personable ceo but people are acting like he created Nintendo and all it's games. All these posts about how he defined thier childhood are so off putting and reek of Nintendo fetishising.

If anyone's Mario's father, it ain't Iwata, it's Shiggy. Damn fanboys can't even get their shit right.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Why are all the Nintendo characters dead and in heaven?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Why are all the Nintendo characters dead and in heaven?

[Bebpo]

he was legend. no more iwata asks and directs

Directs will probably continue, but if you ask me Iwata Asks was his real legacy. So much insight into the development process for so many old and new games. In terms of knowledge gleaned from the development process, the sum total of Iwata Asks probably outpaces EGM, IGN, and any number of enthusiast press sites and magazines.

I'm not sure whether I want them to end, or whether I want them to continue without him. I can't imagine any other CEO interviewing devs like that and being able to interact on such a technical level with interviewees.

They should keep Iwata Asks going as legacy tribute thing to him.  It'd be good for gamers and a nice way for Nintendo to pay respects.

[Steve Contra]

Met Iwata once, he said thanks for working on a charity project we were doing with Nintendo.  Later it turns out the person running the charity was funneling the dev money into failing projects.

[Human Snorenado]

They should replace it with a "Miyamoto Asks" where he rambles about gardens and how everything has to be accessible to the average moron.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

RIP Iwata. He was an ok dude, at least. Miyamoto has been a buffoon for at least the last 15 years.

[close]

[mormapope]

"My idea behind Luigi's Hotel came from going to the supermarket and seeing spilled milk. I thought about how they have to notify an employee to clean up the mess, how someone made the mess and left it behind. In this Luigi game, you have to clean up the messes and problems a ghost makes. The Wii-U pad shows a map and notifies you where the messes happened. If you don't clean the messes up, the people at the hotel may become dissatisfied or even get hurt."

Miyamoto's creative process. 

[Great Rumbler]

(Image removed from quote.)

"My idea behind Luigi's Hotel came from going to the supermarket and seeing spilled milk. I thought about how they have to notify an employee to clean up the mess, how someone made the mess and left it behind. In this Luigi game, you have to clean up the messes and problems a ghost makes. The Wii-U pad shows a map and notifies you where the messes happened. If you don't clean the messes up, the people at the hotel may become dissatisfied or even get hurt."

Miyamoto's creative process. 

That's a pretty standard creative process.

[Pachterballs]

a damn shame. Hope it wasn't a long and painful death. It seemed to be. :/

[Kara]

(Image removed from quote.)

"My idea behind Luigi's Hotel came from going to the supermarket and seeing spilled milk. I thought about how they have to notify an employee to clean up the mess, how someone made the mess and left it behind. In this Luigi game, you have to clean up the messes and problems a ghost makes. The Wii-U pad shows a map and notifies you where the messes happened. If you don't clean the messes up, the people at the hotel may become dissatisfied or even get hurt."

Miyamoto's creative process. 

That's a pretty standard creative process.

The other day I saw a banner advertising creative office space so I wrote a short story about office space that was creative and made art 'n shyt.

A bit derivative of my early work, but no one is going to read this .

[Purrp Skirrp]

It bummed me out a bit when Ryan Davis died, but I never got the idea of putting a .png ribbon over my forum avatar in order to honor someone

He'd prob think that shit is corny.

[benjipwns]

He seemed like the kind of guy who would laugh at people responding to his death with CHINA DON'T CARE.

The part that made/makes me bummed about that death is that quick looks are often dead without Jeff or Drew pushing through them. And mailbags. Ryan was up for garbage and was a dominating personality. (Like Jeff's collapse into the Game Room.) And I recognize that that is a totally selfish thing and I'm fine with it because I'm a terrible human being.

But shit happens, like Giant Bomb East. Patrick bailing out.

Though I do think Ryan's death had a lot to do with that happening, plus some of the other editorial changes and Jeff did seem to take it quite hard. Plus there was that aspect of it being a personality driven website and you could see its sudden impact in real time. Iwata doesn't produce ten videos a week and a three year podcast and so on where you notice that absence of such a dominant personality right away.

I don't miss Ryan's tattoo though. And we've gotten more Drew out of it. And Vinny/Alex has worked out far better than I expected.

Wait, what is thread about again?

[VomKriege]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=171768080&postcount=8991

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

Mario close up creep vibe 

[Great Rumbler]

Iwata-san, when I later saw you appear before the press, I was really happy to see that you had recovered, but it looks like the gods aren't that lenient… Tezuka-san (from Nintendo) suggested that I make an appointment to see you, but I couldn't find the nerve to do so. Now, after all my hesitation, I've learned that we truly passed each other by, and I'll never be able to see you again. I wish I had a StreetPass feature that could connect with heaven. I would run out and buy a DS with that feature right now just so I could send you my thanks. Yeah, I know that sounds a bit too convenient for me. When I left the Seaman project, I sent you a book and a letter. Whether you actually read them or not has been on my mind ever since. Also, I'm really sorry for being late with Odama, causing it to completely miss the window for it to be a success. There's so much more I want to tell you, but I really don't know what to do with myself after hearing about your sudden departure in the news.
Life is always just a succession of regrets.

Iwata-san, thank you for everything. I don't typically look up to a lot of people, but I really respected you. I would always be thinking from afar just how amazing of a person you are. It's cliché to say this, but please rest in peace.

I'm still here, and although I almost lost hope in regards to being a creator and life in general, I think I want to challenge myself once more.

Iwata-san, thank you for so many things.

[Tasty]

Life is always just a succession of regrets.

Fuck, man.