Former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi passes away

Former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi died Thursday morning at the age of 85, Tokyo-based New York Times reporter Hiroko Tabuchi tweeted.

 

 

He is also credited for transforming Nintendo from a simple playing card manufacturer into a world-leading video games company.

 

“It was still a traditional card company when he had taken over, although his decision to diversify soon lead it into the electronics industry and to stride into the increasingly popular arcade market across North America,” Ninendo Insider narrated.

 

He was responsible for installing Shigeru Miyamoto who delivered Donkey Kong in 1981, the game that jumpstarted Nintendo's popularity in the world stage.

 

The report first appeared in Nikkei, a Japanese business news website, where it said that Yamauchi died Thursday morning, but did not mention the nature of his death.

 

Yamauchi, the third president of the global video game giant, ran the firm for 53 years and was the second-largest shareholder at the time of his death, BBC News reported.

 

He started his stint as Nintendo president in 1949 after his grandfather suffered a stroke, and held the position until May 31, 2002. — TJD, GMA News