We have some very sad news to pass on today. Former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi passed away earlier today at the age of 85 due to pneumonia. Yamauchi is the visionary that is credited with bringing Nintendo to the forefront of gaming. Nintendo would not be what they are today if it was not for this man.
Hiroshi Yamauchi was a Japanese businessman who took over Nintendo in 1949 after his grandfather had a stroke, when it was only a very small collectible trading card company. Obviously, he grew that company into arguably the most well known gaming company ever. He first continued to develop the trading card business, but soon started the move into video games with the move into arcades with games like Donkey Kong. From there he turned it into the Nintendo we know today, with help from people like Shigeru Miyamoto.
Yamauchi stepped down in 2002, but took a place on the company’s board of directors. Eventually he left the board and the company entirely in 2005. He also used to own the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team before selling to Nintendo of America in 2004. Without this man, who knows what gaming would be like today. Rest in peace Mr. Yamauchi.
