Former Nintendo President and Pioneer Hiroshi Yamauchi Has Died At 85

Briefly: Former Nintendo president and gaming pioneer Hiroshi Yamauchi has died at 85.

Yamauchi served as Nintendo president for a whopping 53 years, and was responsible for bringing the playing-card company into the world of video games. Yamauchi himself hired video game legend Shigeru Miyamoto, who would go on to create a multitude of best-selling franchises, including Mario and Zelda.

In a short statement, Nintendo writes: “Nintendo is in mourning today from the sad loss of the former Nintendo president Mr Hiroshi Yamauchi, who sadly passed away this morning.”

Yamauchi stepped down as president in 2002, but remained the company’s largest shareholder through the end of his life.

In another statement from current president Satoru Iwata, he notes that “The entire Nintendo group will carry on the spirit of Mr. Yamauchi by honoring, in our approach to entertainment, the sense of value he has taught us — that there is merit in doing what is different — and at the same time, by changing Nintendo in accordance with changing times.”

His passing certainly raises an interesting question: had Yamauchi never been hired at Nintendo, what would the gaming industry look like today? Our thoughts go out to Yamauchi’s family and friends.