Satoru Iwata

Satoru Iwata was a Japanese video game programmer and business executive who led Nintendo as president from 2002 until his death in 2015.

Hiroshi Yamauchi: Hiroshi Yamauchi led Nintendo from 1949 to 2002 and transformed it into a major video game company. Yamauchi selected Iwata as Nintendo president and handed him leadership of the company.
Nintendo DS: The Nintendo DS is a dual-screen handheld game console released in 2004. Its touch screen and accessible design reflected Iwata’s push to broaden the audience for games.
Nintendo Wii: The Nintendo Wii is a home video game console released in 2006 and known for motion-control games. Its commercial success became the defining achievement of Iwata’s presidency.
HAL Laboratory’s Kirby’s Dream Land: Kirby’s Dream Land is a 1992 platform game for Game Boy and the first game in the Kirby series. Iwata contributed programming expertise to HAL Laboratory projects before joining Nintendo’s senior leadership.
Iwata’s 2005 GDC keynote: Satoru Iwata’s 2005 Game Developers Conference keynote introduced Nintendo’s approach to expanding the gaming audience. His phrase “blue ocean” captured the thinking behind Nintendo DS and Wii-era product decisions.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer who created franchises including Mario, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda. Iwata worked closely with Miyamoto on games and later shared public-facing Nintendo duties with him.
Wii: The Wii is a Nintendo home console released in 2006, distinguished by motion-sensitive controllers. Iwata backed the console’s unconventional controls and mass-market strategy.
Nintendo 3DS: The Nintendo 3DS is a handheld console released in 2011 with glasses-free stereoscopic 3D. Its weak launch prompted a major price cut and a period of financial strain under Iwata.
EarthBound: EarthBound is a 1994 role-playing game for the Super Nintendo, known in Japan as Mother 2. Iwata helped HAL Laboratory complete the game by devising a programming approach that avoided a full rewrite.
Iwata’s 2011 GDC keynote: Satoru Iwata’s 2011 Game Developers Conference keynote addressed creativity, games, and Nintendo’s design philosophy. The speech showed how he presented game making as a collaboration between technical craft and play.

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