Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata has died of a tumor, the company said Monday, in a sudden announcement that comes just months after Mr. Iwata announced the videogame maker’s entry into mobile gaming.
Mr. Iwata, 55 years old, underwent surgery in June 2014, and his condition worsened rapidly in recent days, the company said. It said he died on Saturday and the cause of death was a bile duct tumor.
Although he had missed some corporate events over the last year owing to a health condition, Mr. Iwata had been active recently. He presided over Nintendo’s annual shareholder meeting on June 26.
In March, Mr. Iwata appeared at a news conference to say that the company would develop videogames for smartphones based on its classic characters. Nintendo struck a partnership with DeNA Co., a Japanese game provider, under which the companies will exchange ownership stakes and set up a new mobile game platform.
Official Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-president-satoru-iwata-dies-of-cancer-1436747352
