Most CEOs of video game companies are either vilified, or ignored, but that wasn't the case with Nintendo's Satoru Iwata. Eight months after his death, the much-loved Iwata was remembered tonight at the GDC Awards in San Francisco, cast the star of a four-minute animated video drawn by Braid artist David Hellman. Nintendo's fourth CEO appears as a pencil drawing alongside references to some of the most famous Nintendo products released during his time in charge, including Nintendogs, Brain Training, the Wii's motion controller remote, and the DS.
The video might give Iwata a bit more credit than is entirely accurate — the idea for the DS may not have popped into head fully formed — but Nintendo's previous boss was not beneath such innovation. Where many in the position come from the business side of the industry, Iwata — who died of cancer at the age of 55 — rose from a background in game development, and won the hearts of Nintendo fans with a programmer's eye for detail, a gamer's approach to video games, and lovable turns on his company's Nintendo Direct videos.
Our tribute to Satoru Iwata in the GDCAwards. Thank you @raberco @shawnethegirl @kobunheat @simoncarless @megganpez pic.twitter.com/3p1b9R7Hca
— David Hellman (@davidhellman) March 17, 2016