The death of an Industry giant: Hiroshi Yamauchi passes away, age 85.

plufim

Earlier today, the father of modern Nintendo, and arguably console gaming as a whole, passed away.

He steered the company through the NES through to Gamecube era. When the rest of the gaming world had screwed the pooch in the big gaming crash of the 80s, the NES provided a system for gaming to return and flourish on.

From Gamasutra:

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the former Nintendo president who transformed the company from a small-time playing cards outfit into a global video game giant, passed away this morning. He was 85.

Japan's Nikkei reported the news earlier today, and New York Times reporter Hiroko Tabuchi corroborated the report. A Nintendo spokesperson told the BBC that the company was in mourning over the "loss of the former Nintendo president Mr Hiroshi Yamauchi, who sadly passed away this morning."

Yamauchi took his role at Nintendo president back in 1949, following in his grandfather's footsteps. His early years at Nintendo were difficult, as his young age and lack of management experience meant many of his employees did not take him seriously.

However, as the electronic age began, Yamauchi was keen to see his company thrive amidst this new technology. He began dabbling in the latest video game consoles, including the Color TV Game hardware series in Japan.

He later expanded Nintendo to the U.S. in a bid to meet the needs of the American arcade market. It was when Yamauchi published Shigeru Miyamoto's Donkey Kong in 1981, and set the Game & Watch movement in motion, that Nintendo's rise to prominence in the U.S. truly began.

The home console era

Although Yamauchi did not have a video game design background, he played an integral role in deciding which games were good enough for the original NES system in the '80s.

Yamauchi's knack for identifying good console games continued onwards into the life of the SNES and the Nintendo 64. The GameCube was the last games console that Yamauchi worked on, as he stepped down as Nintendo president in 2002, after 53 years in the role.

Yamauchi continued to hold a position at Nintendo as chairman of the board of directors until 2005, when he decided to step down due to his old age. In his final years, he used much of his savings to fund charity projects, including the construction of a cancer hospital in Kyoto.

Personally, this is still hitting me. I came to Nintendo late with the N64, but there are games from that era that are incredibly important and personal to me.

urahonky

There's nothing I can say other than RIP. He made our hobby the way it is today. Without him who knows what we would all be doing right now.

RockinX

He wasn't exactly liked by his employees, but the man made my childhood by reviving the videogame industry.

I'm pretty sure that without him, I wouldn't be speaking English as fluently as I am today, and my childhood wouldn't have been nearly as fun without the games that he made possible.

All of this because he saw potencial as a toy inventor in a janitor who would go on and create stuff like the Ultra Hand and the Game Boy, among other things; and hire the son of a friend to make art for this new game called Donkey Kong.

May the guy rest in peace, knowing that his legacy will go on for generations to come.

Linespider5

This truly is the end of an era.

Retired or no, the man was still, as I understand it, quite involved in the goings-on at Nintendo. I wonder if we'll ever see another like him in this industry again.

Sterica

He'll be back.

Grimthwacker

Yamauchi was a stubborn mule in terms of modern trends and innovations (disc-based media and online, anyone?), but there's no denying his strict dedication to quality got Nintendo to its highest points. I have nothing but respect for the man, and mourn his passing.

Maz-

Rorus Raz wrote: »

He'll be back.

This wasn't even his final form.


Seriously though, rest in peace. One of the most influential people of all time in the industry.

ArcSyn

It's hard to actually come up with a thought about this. Video games just wouldn't be anywhere near what they are if it wasn't for him.

Xaquin

Rest In Peace and thank you for being responsible for countless hours of fun in millions if not billions of lives.

skeldare

Can't believe I woke up to this news. Very sad. RIP and condolences to his family. Truly a legend.

SirUltimos

This actually hits me pretty hard. Nintendo has always been a huge part of my life and it was all thanks to him.

RIP.

Cameron_Talley

The man always sounded like he would be terrifying to be your boss, but he sure knew business. RIP

Niceguyeddie616

There are many stories I've heard about Yamauchi. Most paint him as stubborn, terrifying, and one portrayed him as a bit of a womanizer. But I can't deny that it was his influence and leadership that made Nintendo and pretty much the entire modern gaming industry what it is today.

RIP Yamauchi, and thanks for mine and many other peoples childhoods, you wonderful and crazy bastard.

Athenor

This man was a legend. If anything, Iwata's still living in his shadow, which is both good and bad.

Godspeed, you scary, scary demon of a man.

Grunt's Ghosts

There is a special place in Heaven for this man. And a vacant place on Earth now. He defined gaming and everyone should play a game today in his memory.

Taramoor

When somewhat bluntly asked why Iwata was chosen for the job Yamauchi, speaking as freely as ever, told all. “The reason for Iwata-san's selection comes down to his knowledge and understanding of Nintendo's hardware and software. An executive, regardless of his vast successes, is fundamentally an executive, who doesn't intimately understand our products.” Yamauchi continues, “Within our industry there are those who believe that they will succeed simply because of their successes in other ventures or their wealth, but that doesn't guarantee success. Looking at their experiences since entering the gaming world, it's apparent that our competitors have yielded far more failures than successes. It's been said that Sony is the current winner in the gaming world. However, when considering their ‘victory’, you should remember that their success is only a very recent development. Though Sony is widely held to be the strongest in the market, their fortunes may change. Tomorrow, they could lose that strength, as reversals of fortune are part of this business. Taking into account the things I've encountered in my experiences as Nintendo president, I have come to the conclusion that it requires a special talent to manage a company in this industry. I selected Iwata-san based on that criteria. Over the long-term I don't know whether Iwata-san will maintain Nintendo's position or lead the company to even greater heights of success. At the very least, I believe him to be the best person for the job.”

Donkey Kong appears on the Adam Computer without Nintendo's say:

Originally Posted by Game Over:

Yamauchi entered the room abruptly and, without addressing anyone, stood at the end of the table. He became, as one of those present put it, "unglued."

He began with a breathy, high-pitched tirade in a Marlon Brando monotone and quickly became loud and abusive. with a piercing cry, he swung his arm in an arc in front of him, shooting his outstretched index finger toward Greenberg.

Yamauchi's diatribe, all in Japanese, completely stunned everyone in the room with the possible exception of the Arakawas. Howard Lincoln said, "It scared the hell out of me."

The Coleco people weren't aware that they had messed up Nintendo's lucrative Atari deal- millions of dollars were in the balance- but they could see that they had somehow incurred Yamauchi's unfathomable wrath. When Greenberg tuned to Arakawa for help, he was met with a cold stare. By the time Yamauchi wound down, no one in the room said a word.

The translator finally began to speak. "Mr. Yamauchi is very upset," the man said.

...

Yamauchi spoke again, never wavering. He made it clear that there was nothing else to be said. No excuses would be listened to. Coleco had to refrain from selling "Donkey Kong" on Adam and announce the mistake, or there would be a lawsuit that would leave nothing of the company. There was no doubt that he meant it.

Greenberg and his colleagues retreated from the suite, shaken. Afterward, at dinner in the hotel's Japanese restaurant, Yamauchi, his tie loosened, turned to Howard Lincoln, who was still in a state of shock and said, "Sometimes this is the way you have to handle people, Mr. Lincoln. What did you think about that performance?"

RIP.

Hiroshi Yamauchi.

Genius. Visionary. Tyrant. Legend.

Drunk_caterpillar

I really started following the industry as opposed to just playing games right before the Gamecube was announced and thought that he was an interesting guy making some hard decisions. Iwata was a good choice to replace him but Yamauchi had a certain je ne sais quoi. RIP.

Taramoor

"Nakamura (President of Namco) expected and received, favorable terms-Certainly more favorable terms than later Nintendo licensees. In 1989, Namco's original five-year contract expired. Feeling that he and Yamauchi were equal, Nakamura expected that the renewal of the contract would be a mere formality. Yamauchi, however, used the opportunity to humble Nakamura. Yamauchi had decided that all the agreements with licensees were going to be identical and there would be no exceptions.
When this decision was related to Nakamura, he exploded... Nakamura would not acknowledge that Yamauchi was the stronger... Nakamura filed suit against Nintendo... Yamauchi dismissed the suit stating, 'Frankly, Namco is envious of us.... If they are not satisfied with Nintendo and the way we do business, they should create their own market.' Before long Nakamura withdrew his suit. 'Nakamura suffered the anguish of the defeated king.' his colleagues said, 'The biggest blow was to have to come crawling back to Yamauchi- the defeated king accepting that now he must be a courtier.'"

Brainiac 8

To share an interesting bit of info...

I was listening to NPR, as I do since I'm a boring adult I guess. :rotate:

But on NPR, they announced the death of Yamauchi and talked about him for a bit. Then they interviewed Jeff Ryan, author of Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. (For reference: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-Nintendo-Conquered-America/dp/1591845637)

They interviewed him about Nintendo's history, how they moved from cards to games, Nintendo's influence in the gaming revival, and Yamauchi's strengths as a leader.

It was a really cool tribute and a very informative piece of info for people who aren't familiar. I enjoyed it a lot myself. (but then the interviewer played the original Donkey Kong theme as a closing tribute, but then referred to it as the theme from Zelda. I laughed at this.)

skeldare

Cameron_Talley

Really, anyone that wants to know more about this man should read David Sheff's book Game Over. It almost makes Yamauchi into a tragic hero, I'd argue. He was raised by his Grandparents, primarily. He also operated a chain of "Love Hotels' for a while. And a taxi company.

skeldare

https://twitter.com/RareLtd/statuses/380655814882496512

Taramoor

Cameron_Talley wrote: »

Really, anyone that wants to know more about this man should read David Sheff's book Game Over. It almost makes Yamauchi into a tragic hero, I'd argue. He was raised by his Grandparents, primarily. He also operated a chain of "Love Hotels' for a while. And a taxi company.

I like these bits, personally

"...Hiroshi, responding without emotion, said he would take over the company, but he insisted on several conditions. The main one was that he must be the only family member at Nintendo. This meant that his cousin would have to be fired...Sekiryo had the cousin fired..."

"Young President Yamauchi was not welcomed by Nintendo's employees. They resented his youth and inexperience and worried about rumors that Yamauchi planned a clean sweep of longtime employees. True to expectations Yamauchi fired every manager, one by one, left over from his grandfathers reign... He wanted none of the old guard around to question his authority."

LBD_Nytetrayn

Game Over: Press Start to Continue is one of my favorite books. Be nice if they produced a second updated version, though, or at least another run. My copy unfortunately received an accidental tear in the cover. =(

The one part I hate, though? They constantly misspell "Shigeru" throughout.

cooljammer00

So Yamauchi was basically like the Japanese Steve Jobs: did a lot of good for the company, but was ultimately a dick and a bad person.

LBD_Nytetrayn

I wouldn't say he was a bad person, just... gruff?

Athenor

Dick yes, but I'm not so sure about bad person.

Stormwatcher

I don't care! He gave us the videogame renaissance!

skeldare

Seattle Mariners stand on the field during a moment of silence for the team's majority owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi, before a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, Sept. 23, 2013, in Seattle. Yamauchi died last week.