Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo Pioneer, Dies At 85

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the imaginative technocrat who turned Nintendo into a video game leader, died on Thursday in Kyoto, Japan. He was 85.

Yamauchi died as a result of complications stemming from a bout of pneumonia, according to Nintendo, reported The New York Times.

In 1949, Yamauchi took over running Nintendo from his grandfather. At the time, Nintendo was a playing card company that was in decline, and Yamauchi was in search of a way to revolution the family business. After pushing a number of different products, including light-shooting toy guns, Yamauchi turned to arcade games.

Nintendo, with Yamauchi at the helm, developed lasting hits with Donkey Kong and Mario Bros, which he then parlayed into a successful home video game product. By 1983, Nintendo released their first console, which quickly became the best-selling device of its kind due to its unmatched quality and the engaging games that could be played upon it. Nintendo continued to be a leader, releasing Gameboys and new consoles such as the Nintendo 64, the Cube and Wii.

Yamauchi stepped down from Nintendo in 2002, and passed the torch to current Nintendo president Satoru Iawata.

Yamauchi is survived by two daughters and a son. His wife, Michiko, predeceased him last year.

– Chelsea Regan

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