With Satoru Iwata's passing yesterday, what we are left with are the many memories he shared with us. For some that means anecdotes about how great he was to work with, but for many it means looking back at his charming presentations over the years.
Below you will find 10 moments that catalog Iwata's long and unforgettable journey.
Iwata Goes Bananas
During Nintendo's E3 2012 presentation Iwata was shown staring deeply into a bunch of bananas. Soon after a trailer showing off a reel of upcoming Wii U releases including Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which the bananas referred to, was played. It was a bizarre moment that showcased Iwata's unmistakable charm and great sense of humor.
Iwata Opens Keynote with Legendary Quote
Iwata might have been President of Nintendo, but inside he was always a gamer. His passion for playing and creating games would stick with him until his passing. At his 2005 GDC keynote he made this as clear as possible.
Iwata Begins His Nintendo Journey
Below is one of the earliest known photos of Iwata. This was taken in the early 1980's when he began work at HAL Laboratories where he would work on critically and commercially successful games such as Kirby's Adventure and Earthbound.
Iwata Unveils the Nintendo Wii
If you fast forward to around 4:00 into the video below, you will see Iwata debut the Nintendo Wii. His facial expressions demonstrate the amount of passion that went into designing the console, one that he believed would deliver great new gaming experiences to the world. And it did. The Wii would find its way into over 100 million homes within eight years becoming the third best-selling home console of all-time.
Iwata Delivers Extraordinary Super Smash Bros. Demo
For a couple years Super Smash Bros. was among the most anticipated releases from Nintendo. On June 11th, 2013 Iwata would spend more than 30 minutes showing the game in one of the greatest video game demonstrations in history.
Iwata Shows Off His Professional Unboxing Skills
Iwata was so charming that it was fun just to watch him unbox a home console. In the video below you can hear him speak Japanese while unboxing the Wii U.
Iwata Battles Reggie
Iwata might be known for his remarkable programming skills, but he was similarly as good at martial arts, as seen in his battle against Reggie Fils-Aime during Nintendo's E3 2014 presentation.
Iwata and Co. Deliver Laughs in Puppet Form
Iwata wasn't able to make E3 2015 due to his health struggle, but was able to be a part of the company's Nintendo Direct for the show. Him and other Nintendo executives, including Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime, were cast as puppets. It wasn't the puppets that necessarily made the show great, it was the interactions and dialog. This would be Iwata's last major presentation, and one to remember for the ages.
Iwata Bows Out
Iwata would usually end his presentations with a graceful bow. Below is a photo from the end of one of his final presentations.
Rainbow Road Appears Over Nintendo Building
Today, just hours after Iwata's passing, a rainbow has naturally appeared over Nintendo's Kyoto R&D building. Rest in peace, Iwata.
