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| Reuters/Toru Hanai |
Sataru Iwata came into Nintendo during a rough time in its history. It was 2002 and things were not on the up and up. The GameCube was doing poorly in comparison with its competitors, the PlayStation 2 (Sony) and the Xbox (Microsoft). Right out of the gate he warned investors they were loosing money. He never missed an opportunity to be honest about the company, which is what made him so popular, especially when he made bold decisions...
As popular as they are now, the Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U were seen as downright insanity when they were revealed. The DS was not the simple handheld that everyone was used to...and him walking on stage with a controller that looked like a stick that you just kind of fling around...let's just say you could have heard a pin drop during those conferences. People didn't know what to think! All we gamers knew was this was not what we were used to. However, Iwata never seemed doubtful of the moves he made. I was working at GameStop during the time the DS and Wii became popular. It was overnight. I mean that almost literally. Nintendo became fun again for a new generation and we couldn't keep either product on the shelf.
At the same time, there have been long term issues with not following the same route as Sony and Microsoft. A lot of "hardcore" gamers felt abandoned and not everyone was keen on motion controls. Still, this man pulled Nintendo up once when it was down, I am sure he could have done it again.
No matter where your opinion lies with how Nintendo is handling its affairs currently, one thing was for sure. This man was a force and should be admired not only for his ability to think outside the box, but to follow through with his actions. It is a shame he is gone so soon.
We will miss you Iwata-san!
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