The famous Japanese businessman credited with taking Nintendo to a world-leading video games company, Hiroshi Yamauchi, died yesterday. He was 85 years old.
The firm was run by Mr. Yamauchi for 53 years. He ran the company from 1949 to 2002. He was the second-largest shareholder of the company when he died. Mr. Yamauchi’s death was confirmed by the company in an emailed statement.
“The loss of the former Nintendo president Mr. Hiroshi Yamauchi, who sadly passed away this morning, is deeply mourned”, the spokesman from the firm said.
He passed away due to pneumonia at a hospital in Japan. His funeral would take place on Sunday.
Initially, Nintendo was simply a small-time trading card company. He built it into one of the most recognizable and popular video games brands today. The success of Nintendo can be safely attributed to Mr. Yamauchi’s vision and his execution.
He transformed just another trading card company into an entertainment giant in video games. Ian Livingstone, the co-founder of Games Workshop and the ex-chairman of Eidos offered his condolences to the former Nintendo head.
“He understood the economic potential of electronic gaming. He understood that virtual social gaming would be the next big thing in the entertainment industry. He didn’t bother much about his competitors. In his own way, he is a true visionary”, Livingstone said.
The origin of Nintendo was very humble. Mr. Yamauchi took over Nintendo after his grandfather suffered from a stroke.
Mr Yamauchi took over at Nintendo after his grandfather suffered a stroke. After several years of developing the firm’s existing trading card business, Mr. Yamauchi turned to electronic entertainment. Super Mario became an instant hit with many youngsters, under Mr. Yamauchi’s management. Games like Legend of Zelda and
Starfox smashed all previous records and became household names. Donkey Kong was released with the idea of breaking into the US arcade game market.
Mr. Yamauchi’s death would have a huge impact on the millions of Nintendo fans worldwide.