Nintendo has announced that the firm’s much-loved chief executive Satoru Iwata has died, aged 55.
The developer turned CEO has long been regarded as the man who brought gaming to the masses – having overseen the launch of the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles that sold well, with the latter introducing gaming to the living room and the whole family for the first time.
He once described himself as having the brain of a developer and the heart of a gamer, and it was this kind of sentiment that led to his popularity, and also Nintendo’s with the firm making its first annual profit in four years earlier this year as it continues to battle big name rivals PlayStation and Xbox.
Sony itself took to Twitter to pay tribute to Iwata, along with thousands of gaming fans.