[MUSIC]
Hello everyone.
And thank you for joining us today.
President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata has died, aged 55.
Marking an end to a life that helped shape the gaming world as we know it.
Born in Japan in 1959, Iwata grew up in the city of Sapporo.
Interested in electronic games from an early age, after university Iwata worked at HAL Laboratory, a development closely affiliated with Nintendo, where he worked on popular franchises, including Earthbound and Kirby, also later bringing his programming expertise to their own Pokemon games.
Joining Nintendo in 2000, Iwata took charge as president two years later.
During his tenure as leader, Nintendo released two of the most successful gaming devices in history, the Nintendo DS handheld and the Nintendo Wii, which eschewed traditional gaming controls in favor of motion-based interaction.
We sold over 100 million units, bringing the world of gaming to a broader audience than ever before and serving as a monument to who wants its approach to the industry, focusing less on cutting edge hardware and more on innovative gaming experiences.
An approach is likely to define we want him to be remembered.
To Nintendo's loyal fans, Iwata was a familiar face, delivering Nintendo news and announcements personally by Nintendo Direct broadcasts, and offering game development insight through the Iwata Asks series of interviews.
Although overset by health troubles in has last years, Iwata continued to work, and earlier this year confirmed that Nintendo was working on a new gaming platform, code named NX On my business card, I am a corporate president.
In my mind, I am a game developer.
But in my heart, I am a gamer.
[APPLAUSE]
An iconic figure in the industry under the leadership of Satoru Iwata, Nintendo truly brought gaming to the masses.
A legacy that will not soon be forgotten.
[MUSIC]
