Hiroshi Yamauchi Dies Aged 85

[Han]

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the Japanese businessman credited with transforming Nintendo into a world-leading video games company, has died aged 85.

Yamauchi, who passed away this morning, actually ran the firm for 53 years after taking over from his grandfather after a stroke. After a few years of running the business, he turned it from a trading card company to electronic entertainment. He stood down in 2002 to take a place on the board of directors until 2005 when he left the company entirely. Yamauchi suffered from pneumonia, which was his cause of death at a hospital in Japan.

This man took the Nintendo as the small trading card business it was, and turned it into a household name; it is one of the most recognisable and successful video game brands.

"Hiroshi Yamauchi transformed a run-of the-mill trading card company into an entertainment empire in video games," said Ian Livingstone, co-founder of Games Workshop and former chairman of publisher Eidos.
"He understood the social value of play, and economic potential of electronic gaming. Most importantly he steered Nintendo on its own course and was unconcerned by the actions of his competitors. He was a true visionary."
Rob Crossley, associate editor of Computer and Video Games magazine, told the BBC: "You cannot overestimate the influence the man had on the games industry."
"He spearheaded Nintendo as they moved into the arcade business, with hits such as Donkey Kong.
"This man was the president of Nintendo during the NES, the SNES, the N64 and the Gamecube - the first two were transformative pieces of electronic entertainment."

Source

 

[Rebecca Chambers]

The only thing I really remember about old Nintendo as a card company, was their playing cards featuring in the 1977 show J.A.K.Q Dengekitai.

 

[Han]

I didn't even know about the trading card part of the company in the past until reading the article. The earliest I remember is the Nintendo 64.

 

[rjkgr]

thats sad! but mr. Yamauchi did great things while he was alive!

 

[Han]

Indeed he did - imagine the world if Nintendo was still a trading card company!