We are sad to share the news that Nintendo of America co-founder Alan Stone has passed away, at the age of 71.
InterGame reports that he sadly died on Friday 17th February 2017, after battling a long illness. He will be remembered as a key driving force behind helping to establish Nintendo in North America, having been responsible for bringing the arcade sensation Donkey Kong to the United States and the rest of the world.
Stone had worked alongside Ron Judy to do so, negotiating with Nintendo to release their coin-operated arcade games outside of Japan. It all started when Stone formed Far East Video with Judy, looking to market Nintendo’s games to bars, arcades, hotel lounges and pizza parlours, a strategy that soon proved a success when, by 1982, Donkey Kong had sold 60,000 arcade units in the United States alone.
That achievement soon saw Stone co-found Nintendo of America, where he became vice president. And, without that success, the Nintendo Entertainment System may never have made a household name for itself, and, in turn, the games industry may not be where it is today.
Stone went on to become president and CEO at SEGA Entertainment, joined the board at GPlay, Raging River and Platinum Studios, and, most recently, became COO at Nanotech Entertainment.
