In 2015, the gaming industry lost one of it’s most beloved gaming figures, President of Nintendo at the time, Satoru Iwata. A man who helped launch a myriad of iconic consoles from the Nintendo Wii to the DS, Iwata was a pioneer in the gaming space.
Nintendo hasn’t always been the most outspoken company about interpersonal relationships within the company, but today we got a bit of a peek behind the curtain of one of Iwata’s deepest friendships. Legendary game creator, Shigeru Miyamoto spoke about the late Iwata and how he feels on reflection of losing a friend. This excerpt comes from a new book entitled, Iwata-san, where Miyamoto reflected on the loss of his friend (via IGN):
This quote sheds some light on the character of Miyamoto and Iwata and how it shaped their working and social relationships. Miyamoto went on to discuss the early days of their blossoming friendship where they made a tradition of getting lunch together:
Since Iwata’s passing, Miyamoto has been left to his own devices on his imaginative ideas. Iwata seemed to be a bit of a filter for Miyamoto, helping him work through his ideas weekly. Miyamoto stated:
It seems that there is no denying that the gravity of the loss of Iwata has likely weighed a lot on Miyamoto’s shoulders. Not only did the industry lose one of its greatest minds, but it also lost a great man. I think this is reflected in the way that Miyamoto discussed working with him at Nintendo.
