Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has passed away

It is with deep sadness that we report that Nintendo global president Satoru Iwata has passed away.

“Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth,” the company briefly confirmed in a statement.

The bile duct growth to which they refer had been discovered before E3 2014, and had seen Iwata advised not to travel overseas. Having been detected after a routine examination, Iwata underwent surgery that later led to him missing the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.

““In general, it is said that a bile duct growth can be difficult-to-treat, partly because of the difficulty of detecting it early,” Iwata shared at the time. “In my case, luckily, it was detected very early and I had no symptoms. I was counselled that removal at an early stage would be the desirable medical option. Therefore I had surgery last week, and I came through it well, as predicted.”

It was reported that his recovery had been steady, seeing him resume his regular work duties in October.

He hadn’t travelled to Los Angeles for E3 2015, but reasoned that the company wasn’t announcing any new hardware. His official Mii would later be updated to reflect his weight loss.

Our thoughts and condolences are with Satoru Iwata’s family, friends and his colleagues at Nintendo.

May you forever rest in peace, and let me take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have immeasurably done for a company that the world continues to treasure.