El cuarto presidente y CEO de Nintendo, Satoru Iwata trabajó durante sus últimos días en el hospital en Pokémon Go, probablemente no programando pero sí dando sus últimas indicaciones sobre cómo enfocar el proyecto, poco después murió debido al cáncer.
Late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spent his final days in a hospital room working on Pokémon GO, which has become a global phenomenon.
It’s been a little over one year since Iwata unexpectedly passed away; he died at the young age of 55 in a losing fight with bile duct cancer on July 11, 2015 in Japan. But that didn’t stop the man from working — he kept his condition well-hidden from the public eye.
Following a successful surgery that removed a growth from his bile duct in June 2014, Iwata quickly resumed his day to day duties.
Iwata made his last public appearance in late June at a Nintendo shareholders meeting, just a few short weeks before he passed. “I still have unfinished business,” he said, according to Nikkei Asian Review.
In his hospital room, Iwata exchanged ideas with Tsunekazu Ishihara, his close friend and the president of The Pokémon Company. He exchanged those ideas using his favorite PC.
“Children can enjoy ‘Pokémon GO’ without spending too much money. This is probably what Iwata-san aimed for,” said one game company executive who was close to Iwata.
Iwata’s legacy continues to live on in the hearts of thousands for many reasons — from his tireless inspiring work ethic, to the many video games he has helped produce, to his natural ability to put smiles on the faces of fans, thanks to his bright and cheerful personality during Nintendo Direct events.
Today, Iwata would be proud.
