z64dan on 10 June 2007
We can apparently thank former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi for the company's new DS handheld, according to an interview with the Nikkei Industrial Daily. The iron-willed architect of Nintendo's business success over several decades recently spoke to the newspaper alongside current president Satoru Iwata, explaining the genesis of the DS and other issues related to Nintendo's future plans.
The DS represents a critical moment for Nintendo's success over the next two years, Yamauchi said -- "if it succeeds, we rise to the heavens, if it fails, we sink into hell." His hope, and Nintendo's mission, is to spread new gameplay through this device and re-energize the games market in both Japan and the rest of the world.
(link)
The DS represents a critical moment for Nintendo's success over the next two years, Yamauchi said -- "if it succeeds, we rise to the heavens, if it fails, we sink into hell." His hope, and Nintendo's mission, is to spread new gameplay through this device and re-energize the games market in both Japan and the rest of the world.
(link)
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On May 31, 2002, Yamauchi stepped down as president of Nintendo and was succeeded by the head of Nintendo's Corporate Planning Division, Satoru Iwata. Hiroshi Yamauchi subsequently became the chairman of Nintendo's board of directors. He finally left the board in June 2005 due to his age and because he felt that he was leaving the company in good hands. Yamauchi also refused to accept his retirement pension, which was reported to be around $9 million to $14 million, feeling that Nintendo could put it to better use.
(wikipedia)
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Those 2 article snippets pretty much sum up my feelings on this guy. He led Nintendo through their best times, and then their worst times, and they didn't understand why the times were so rough. Now they're back, though.
