Sad news out of Japan today, as the Nikkei is reporting that Nintendo’s third president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, has died at the age of 85. Yamauchi died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital in central Japan and funeral services for the former president will be held on Sunday. A spokesperson for Nintendo has stated the company is in mourning over the loss of its former president.
Yamauchi presided over Nintendo through the launch of the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and the Nintendo GameCube before he was succeeded by current president Satoru Iwata. After stepping down in 2005, Yamauchi refused his retirement pension rumored to be worth around $9 to $14 million dollars, claiming that Nintendo could put it to better use inside of the company.
We here at Wii U Daily would like to extend our heart-felt thanks to Yamauchi-san for all he did as the president of Nintendo, as he presided over some of the greatest console launches in gaming history.