Iwata has passed away

[BogusMeatFactory]

Satoru Iwata has passed away today. How shocking and sad. The father of many beloved franchises is no more.

[laurenhiya21]

Wow geez I thought someone mentioned that he had health problems, but I really didn't think it was that bad...

Rest in peace.

[Cronozilla]

This is horrible, I hope there's some direct confirmation from Nintendo. Currently there's a document that looks like Nintendo document and that's all. There's no PR statement as of yet.

I'm hoping this is some kind of prank. If not, it's extremely saddening.

How could he be that unaware of the cancer's progression after such rigorous steps were taken? Terminal cancer + sitting president = questions.

[Tanooki]

It says it was due to a bile duct growth, which is probably a nicer way to say terminal cancer. It had been bugging him before and he was out over it I think a year ago for a time. It's a loss, maybe not as much as the lead of the company, but when he was the creator of things like Kirby and Balloon Fight, coder and more for Earthbound, helped start Smash Bros, and a producer on a heap of peoples favorites that's one big guiding hand who is no more.

Now you have to wonder how will end up taking over and if they can help things out more with the company.

There's a pdf from Nintendo I can't get to load: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150713e.pdf ...but it's up on google as the leading story under his name.

[8bit]

Yeah this definitely looks real. Its definitely sad because he seemed like the kind of executive who still really cared about the customer and the products and not just the bottom line. He had some character and it showed in the games he helped produce. RIP Mr Iwata.

[Blu]

How heartbreaking. Cholangiocarcinoma? I had no idea he had any existing health conditions. This is so incredibly sad, and Nintendo, fans, and the gaming community are all in mourning for Iwata-san today.

[Hazerd]

RIP, didnt even know he had health problems, very saddening.

[Sarge]

Oh, no. Condolences to his family. I hope Nintendo finds someone that can step in and transition smoothly, I liked a lot of what Iwata was doing.

[Exhuminator]

[Gunstar Green]

This is sad and unexpected news and a real shakeup for the industry.

Regardless of what you thought of Nintendo's direction the man was a giant of gaming and a wizard of a programmer.