Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has passed away.
He was not only a corporate figure, but a programmer, a game developer and a gamer. Iwata saved one of the most iconic RPGs of all time, EarthBound, from cancellation by reportedly reprogramming the entire game from scratch. Other programming feats include compressing Pokemon Gold/Silver enough to fit Kanto and saving Super Smash Bros Melee from being delayed by personally debugging the game.
I think it's clear that he earned his position through hard work and passion.
I'll miss his fantastic interview series, Iwata Asks. I'll also miss his joyful presence in Nintendo's announcement videos.
But he will forever live on through his work and the impact he had on gamers.
RIP