On July 11, 2015, the video game industry was changed forever. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata died of complications from bile duct cancer, devastating friends, family, and millions of Nintendo fans around the world. With it now being five years since Iwata passed away, it's a great time to look back at his incredible accomplishments in the gaming industry, and how he is one of the most influential video game executives of all time.
Under the leadership of Iwata, Nintendo released the incredibly innovative Nintendo Wii and DS, both of which became two of the most popular gaming systems in the company's history. The Wii in particular was noteworthy for being a significant comeback for Nintendo after it had spent the previous two generations losing to PlayStation. Iwata is also known for innovating the company's Nintendo Direct presentations, which is a tradition that continues to this day.
In terms of game development, Iwata had a hand in some of the biggest video game franchises of all time, including Pokemon and Super Smash Bros. In fact, Iwata is given a lot of credit when it comes to bringing Pokemon outside of Japan, and it's possible the franchise wouldn't have reached the same levels of success it did without his influence.
Iwata's legacy is still felt in Nintendo products to this day. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon pay tribute to Iwata, and as does the Nintendo Switch console itself. Considering the impact Iwata had on the industry, one has to imagine that these homages to him will continue to appear in games and hardware for years to come.