Portrait de Satoru Iwata accompagné des dates 1959-2015

Satoru Iwata: Nintendo's Programmer-President

1412 words | Reading time : 7 minute(s)

CharacterSatoru IwataNintendo

A president who could debug a game himself when the clock was running out. Born on 6 December 1959 and gone on 11 July 2015 at the age of 55, Satoru Iwata was the fourth president of Nintendo from May 2002, after leading HAL Laboratory. This portrait retraces his path as a programmer, the golden age of the Wii and the DS, and the “Iwata Asks” and Nintendo Direct formats.

Satoru Iwata — whose name is written exactly the same way in every language (Satoru Iwata) — was no ordinary boss. This programmer turned president of Nintendo left his mark on the first decade of the 21st century and steered one of Mario's finest revivals.

Here is the story of a man who could just as easily write code as run a multinational, and whose imprint can still be felt in every adventure of the mustachioed plumber.

Contents

From the keyboard to the president's chair

Before running the most famous publisher in video games, Satoru Iwata was first and foremost a brilliant programmer. Born on 6 December 1959, he fell for code during his student years. Once he graduated, in 1982 he joined HAL Laboratory, a small studio partnered with Nintendo, where he became the fifth employee and the only programmer.

At HAL, his work brought to life classics such as Balloon Fight, the Kirby series and the cult favourite EarthBound. In 1993, with the studio on the brink of bankruptcy, he took over as its president at the request of Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's long-standing boss, and put it back on its feet within a few years.

That unusual path made him a leader like no other. In May 2002, he succeeded Yamauchi and became the 4th president of Nintendo, the first who did not belong to the founding family. He liked to sum up his double identity like this: president on his business card, developer in his head, but gamer at heart.

Satoru Iwata on stage at the Game Developers Conference 2011
Nintendo's president at a conference: a leader who came from code. Photo: Official GDC, CC BY 2.0.

The man who debugged a playable Mario

Released on GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Melee brings together Nintendo's stars in a festive brawl where Mario is a playable fighter. What few players know is that Iwata left a discreet but decisive mark on it.

Credited merely under “Special Thanks”, he was in reality the game's uncredited lead debugger. With development under heavy pressure, the businessman picked the keyboard back up to hunt down bugs and help the team led by Masahiro Sakurai finish the game on time.

That episode sums the man up: a president who could code, who never hesitated to dive into the engine of a game headlined by Mario. An exceedingly rare skill at the top of an entertainment multinational.

The Wii and DS golden age: Mario reborn

Iwata's presidency coincides with one of the plumber's most glorious chapters. On Nintendo DS, New Super Mario Bros. (2006) brought 2D Mario back to life and sold tens of millions of copies, drawing a whole generation back to classic platforming.

The Wii then delivered one masterpiece after another: Super Mario Galaxy (2007) sent Mario from planet to planet and swept up the awards; Mario Kart Wii (2008) opened racing up to everyone with its plastic wheel; New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009) invented simultaneous four-player multiplayer.

This tidal wave owed a great deal to Iwata's vision: targeting casual players as much as the die-hard fans, with simple, welcoming consoles. The result: the Wii and the DS rank among the best-selling machines in history, and Mario is their driving force.

Satoru Iwata presenting Nintendo's latest releases on stage at E3 2009
At E3 2009, at the height of the Wii and DS wave, he unveiled the new releases himself.

“Iwata Asks” and Nintendo Direct: behind the scenes revealed

Iwata was not only a strategist: he was a wonderful teller of stories. In 2006, he launched “Iwata Asks” (known as Iwata Asks), a series of interviews in which he personally questioned the creators of Nintendo's in-house games.

These conversations reveal the behind-the-scenes stories of many Mario games, from the design of Super Mario Galaxy to Shigeru Miyamoto's anecdotes. They remain a goldmine for understanding how ideas are born at Nintendo.

In October 2011, he launched another format that became legendary: the Nintendo Direct. Facing the camera, he announced the news himself, bypassing the press to speak straight to players. Many major Mario reveals have been made there ever since.

A playful cameo and an immense legacy

True to his sense of humour, Iwata even slipped into a game. In WarioWare: Smooth Moves on Wii, he shows up as Shop Manager Iwata, the manager of a video game shop — an affectionate nod to his double role as boss and player.

On 11 July 2015, Satoru Iwata passed away at the age of 55 from a tumour, leaving Nintendo and its fans in mourning. His name still appears in the credits of several games, and he is honoured posthumously in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

From HAL Laboratory to the presidency, he embodied one simple idea: games must stay fun and open to everyone. A credo that carried Mario to new heights and that still runs through Nintendo's philosophy today.

Flowers and messages left in tribute to Satoru Iwata outside the Nintendo World Store in New York
When he died in 2015, players covered the window of the Nintendo World Store with flowers. Photo: Steven Bornholtz, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Satoru Iwata at a glance

Full name Satoru Iwata
Born 6 December 1959 (Japan)
Died 11 July 2015, aged 55
Role 4th president of Nintendo (May 2002 – 2015)
Previous position Programmer, then president of HAL Laboratory
Link with Mario Lead debugger (uncredited) on Super Smash Bros. Melee
Creations “Iwata Asks” (2006), Nintendo Direct (2011)
Cameo Shop Manager Iwata in WarioWare: Smooth Moves

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FAQ

  • Who was Satoru Iwata?
    Satoru Iwata was a Japanese programmer who became the fourth president of Nintendo, from May 2002 until his death in July 2015. He led the company through the golden age of the Wii and the DS.
  • Which Mario games came out during his presidency?
    Among the most memorable are New Super Mario Bros. (2006), Super Mario Galaxy (2007), Mario Kart Wii (2008) and New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009).
  • Did Iwata really work on a game featuring Mario?
    Yes. He was the uncredited lead debugger on Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube, a fighting game in which Mario is a playable character.
  • What is “Iwata Asks”?
    It is a series of interviews launched in 2006, known as Iwata Asks, in which Iwata questioned creators to reveal the behind-the-scenes stories of Nintendo games, including many Mario titles.
  • How does he appear in a WarioWare game?
    In WarioWare: Smooth Moves on Wii, Iwata makes a cameo as Shop Manager Iwata, the manager of a video game shop.

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