Mirby Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Just as the topic states, Hiroshi Yamauchi has passed away. This guy was responsible for helping transform Nintendo from playing card manufacturer to video game giant over his 53-year term with the company. He stepped down as President in 2002 (he was succeeded by Satoru Iwata) and became chairman of the board of directors. Three years later, he stepped down from that position, partly because of age and partly because he felt the company was in good hands. He also refused his retirement pension (estimated at between $9-14 million) and let Nintendo have it, feeling that they'd do more with it. So yeah, thoughts? Source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Bottle Rocket Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 farewell sweet prince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrow Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I had my issues with some of the decisions he was making near the end, but the NES wouldn't exist if not for him, and man, did that system shape my entire life. Even the stratospheric success of the Wii can be traced back to him, since the impetus for it came directly from what Nintendo did with the DS, which he came up with the initial ideas for. So yeah, mad respect. R.I.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 until 2002? don't remember him, but this guy was president during the sexy times of Nintendo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaconProcurement Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I think a lot of people forget the impact he has in our lives. If he hadn't decided on pursuing electronic games as a business venture, the whole gaming industry wouldn't have been as big as it is today. He had created a domino effect of artistic influences for many generations. Rest in piece, Hiroshi Yamauchi. I tip my figurative hat to you, sir and thank you for shaping many of our lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiGi Valentine Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I was more of a SEGA kid during my childhood, didn't own the older Nintendo consoles ..lol, my first was a GameCube. (oh, and a Gameboy. Can't forget that. Pokémon. yeah). But i can't deny the impact this guy had on the industry, i truly respect it all. I mean, it's been noted on record that half the SEGA employee's at that time owe their motivation to their brand because of Nintendo merely existing. People like Sonic's creator 'Yuji Naka' and others like Hoshino and Ohshima have all stated that they felt compelled to make games and consoles as good as Nintendo. Without Nintendo being here there probably wouldn't have been as an iconic SEGA as there was during the 90's, and Yamauchi was the head boss in charge of Nintendo during that era. My respect goes out to him not just for his own work to his company but for also inspiring the other companies around him. Literally speaking, it really did help shape the industry at the time. Yamauchi did something very similar to what the president of SEGA (Okawa) done too, during the Dreamcast era. Upon Okawa's passing he left his money to the company, wanting it to continue forth even after he died. These old skool guys, man. They truly gave a shi- when it came down to their companies. Anyways, all that aside, my hats off to Yamauchi for the work he did in helping run Nintendo and shaping the industry around it. r.i.p~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 I hope he gets a 21-gun salute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crulex Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Rest in Peace, good sir. Your impact on many folk's lives will be felt for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Back in the day many of my friends had NESs. Which made me want to one-up them and go for the Sega Genesis. Can't deny that the Sega/Nintendo days were the best. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Rest in peace Mr. Yamauchi. May you find lots of gold coins up in the sky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustin Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Rest in peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 that is a really cool picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC2151 Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 We do have to salute the passing of one of the great pioneers of video-gaming; especially since this site is formed and based around an aspect of the gaming medium. And I myself, I suppose, since my formative childhood years were partly shaped by the products Yamauchi was able to bring forth. What I actually admire about Yamauchi was the fact that he wasn't himself a gamer (he never played a game in his life, outside of a few rounds of Tetris) - In my opinion that gave him more of an unclouded, pragmatic side to running Nintendo that allowed it to achieve such astronomical successes in the 80s and 90s. He had a keen sense of what would be successful (e.g. throwing boatloads of money and influence around to get Alexei Pajitnov's Tetris onto the Gameboy; offering insane deals to get NES's into stores after the Atari crash, which ultimately made Nintendo millions in income). Obviously, there was a Virtual Boy in there here and there, but not every swing is a grand slam. He was a pioneering (and ruthless) businessman at heart, and that's exactly what Nintendo needed to create some of the best games ever and secure some of the greatest talent ever (Gunpei Yokoi, Shigeru Miyamoto). You really wouldn't see Satoru Iwata be able to do the things Yamauchi did to succeed, because he lacks that iron willpower. Being a game designer himself makes him probably more sympathetic to Nintendo programmers, whereas Yamauchi would form rival teams and only select the 'winning team's' game to be published. It sounds (to softer ears) 'cruel' but it sure is one hell of a way to foster competition and quality control. Ultimately, Nintendo's successes are predicated on their adherence to Yamauchi's philosophy on gaming and hardware; the NES, SNES, Gameboy, Wii, and DS are all alike in that Yamauchi's influence looms largely over them. While Hiroshi Yamauchi did not have an active role in the company for the last seven years or so, I certainly hope Nintendo can find a like-minded spirit to replace him and remind the world why the company was so important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyrai Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboKa Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 RIP most influential man in history, ever q.q *tips hat* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 RIP you made my childhood awesome! Really the only magazine I ever read and looked forward to in my entire life. Nintendo Power was one of many accomplishments for an a amazing man, RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 RIP most influential man in history, ever q.q *tips hat* from a general perspective, I wouldn't say most influential man in history, but definitely an important one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboKa Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 from a general perspective, I wouldn't say most influential man in history, but definitely an important one. It was a joke mang =p, but yeah he def. inspired videogame developers around the world to do great things...now we need a new figurehead to launch a new era of good videogames, cuz this one is getting kinda stale if you know what I'm sayin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 It was a joke mang =p, but yeah he def. inspired videogame developers around the world to do great things...now we need a new figurehead to launch a new era of good videogames, cuz this one is getting kinda stale if you know what I'm sayin' ugh. yes I know what you mean. I want another breakthrough like the 5th and 6th gens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyBearMcGubbins Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Yamauchi, for me, was Nintendo during the late nineties even though his influence was felt keenest on the purely business side of the company. His was the face, even above the likes of Iwata and Miyamoto, that I always conjured when I thought of the company. I'm aware this is in no small part to N64 magazine revering him as a sort of quasi-mythological figure and transforming him upon their pages into something resembling the Antichrist who could disseminate Nintendo's dark will to all corners of the globe with but a deepening of his scowl. This does not in any way mean I ever thought anything less than fondly of the guy for it. Rest in peace, you maniacally tyrannical patriarch, you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global-Trance Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Hip Tanaka's tribute to Yamauchi in the form of remixes Super Mario Land: https://soundcloud.com/hip_tanaka/dedicated-to-hiroshi-yamauchi Metroid: https://soundcloud.com/hip_tanaka/dedicated-to-hiroshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyBearMcGubbins Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Oh, goodness. Listening to those is like listening to a eulogy for Nintendo itself. So very, very pretty and nostalgic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Hip Tanaka's tribute to Yamauchi in the form of remixesSuper Mario Land: https://soundcloud.com/hip_tanaka/dedicated-to-hiroshi-yamauchi Metroid: https://soundcloud.com/hip_tanaka/dedicated-to-hiroshi !!! I think nothing I see as a tribute for Yamauchi or anyone will top this. I haven't been this moved by music or effort in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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