Satoru Iwata passed away nearly 7 years ago, and it still seems surreal. Iwata’s passing was quite sudden, and it left fans in mourning ever since. Millions around the world were impacted by the loss of Iwata, and that certainly includes Reggie Fils-Aimé.
During his SXSW keynote, Reggie opened up about how hard Iwata’s passing hit him. Not surprisingly, it was a life-changing moment for Reggie. You can see Reggie’s full comments on the matter below.
So my boss, my mentor, my friend, Satoru Iwata passed away in 2015. He and I were just about the same age and he passed away from a form of cancer, and you know, he and I had worked together at that point for over ten years. So when that happens, when that touches so close to the bone, it really creates a need for you to step and evaluate - “what am I doing, am I having fun, am I doing things that are really fulfilling” - and I was having a lot of fun at Nintendo, but I wanted to do more.
I wanted to share my learnings on a much broader stage - like this - I wanted to help young executives go on their own pathway, I wanted to do board service, I wanted to spend more time with Cornell (University). When you’re running a company - Nintendo of America was the biggest part of global Nintendo, half of the sales and profits - when you’re running the company, you can’t do all of those things.
It’s obviously a travesty that Iwata is no longer with us, and it’s sad that Reggie isn’t at Nintendo anymore, but it is heartwarming to see that Iwata’s tragic passing pushed Reggie to strive for even more in his life. A friend can motivate you to do incredible things no matter whether they are, be it here or the great beyond.
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kuribo
2y agoIwata is easily one of the most impactful people to ever work at Nintendo.
d_says_hi
2y agoIwata's passing hit me as well since I have a similar condition.
vinlauria
2y agoIwata's passing has affected me as well, as I resonated incredibly strongly with the direction he was taking Nintendo and I feel like no one in the industry has filled that same role since. Seeing the industry now just leaves me depressed.
edisythe
2y agoHe will always be remembered fondly and proudly by Nintendo fans all over the world.
Since over 6 years have passed I hope that you've already overcome your disease. If not: I wish you all the very best. Hang in there!
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