Hiroshi Yamauchi, Former Nintendo head dies at 85

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the man who transformed Nintendo into a world-leading video games company has died. He was 85 years old.

10:29 20 September 2013

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the Japanese businessman who successfully moved Nintendo into the video game business and later on, helped in making it a world-leader in this industry, has died. He was 85. 

Nintendo has confirmed the news and told the press that it mourns over the “loss of the former Nintendo president Mr Hiroshi Yamauchi, who sadly passed away this morning.” 

The company added that Mr Yamauchi died at a hospital in central Japan due to pneumonia and that the funeral is scheduled on Sunday. 

Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s CEO and president, said: “The entire Nintendo group will carry on the spirit of Mr. Yamauchi by honouring, in our approach to entertainment, the sense of value he has taught us — that there is merit in doing what is different — and at the same time, by changing Nintendo in accordance with changing times.”

Mr Yamauchi ran the company from 1949 until 2002. At the time of his death, he is the second-largest shareholder of the company. 

The computer and gaming industry is also mourning over the death of an iconic industry leader. Rob Crossley, associate editor of the Computer and Video Games magazine told BBC: "You cannot overestimate the influence the man had on the games industry." 

"He spearheaded Nintendo as they moved into the arcade business, with hits such as Donkey Kong. 

"This man was the president of Nintendo during the NES, the SNES, the N64 and the Gamecube - the first two were transformative pieces of electronic entertainment."