We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.

Yamauchi Retiring from Nintendo Board

by Steven Rodriguez - April 27, 2005, 7:11 pm EDT
Total comments: 21 Source: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/news/050427.html

The former president of Nintendo will be leaving his chair on the board of directors for his official retirement.

Between 1949 and 2002, Hiroshi Yamauchi was the iron-fisted president of Nintendo. The gaming community was shocked when he stepped down from the top after his 53-year reign, and even more shocked to hear that Satoru Iwata, former president of HAL and only a recent addition to NCL's stable of executives, would be his replacement. Yamauchi stayed with Nintendo as a prominent member of the company's board of directors.

After three years on the board, Yamauchi has decided that enough is enough, and will be leaving Nintendo for good. At the next shareholders meeting on June 29, the announcment that Yamauchi will be retiring from the company will be made. For the first time in 56 years, he will no longer have any direct input in the actions Nintendo as a company takes, although he will still own 10% of Nintendo stock and stay connected with Nintendo's dealings as a consultant.

Normally, retiring Nintendo board members are paid a retirement pension upon leaving the company. Yamauchi, being the nice guy that he is, has elected to decline this pension, stating that the money would be better suited to be put back into the company. The exact amount isn't really known, but GameSpot reports that the amount is rumored to be something around $9-14 million. That's not all that much compared to Nintendo's $7+ billion war chest, but Yamauchi stressed that cash is important to have in the games industry.

Hiroshi Yamauchi has officially retired from Nintendo. It's truly an end of an era in the videogame industry, and there's no doubt that games wouldn't be the way they are with out him. PGC wishes Mr. Yamauchi a happy retirement.

Talkback

KnowsNothingApril 27, 2005

This is because he knows the Revolution will fail and he wants to get out while he still can.

Good, now no one else is gonna say that. I wish Mr. Yamauchi a happy retirement. May his iron fist never rust.

anubis6789April 27, 2005

Man, I hope this doesn't keep him from making his great contraversial comments in public.

That said, I hope his retirment is a happy one.

Spak-SpangApril 27, 2005

Perhaps this means that Nintendo is going for a completely new image. The revolution can truly be the start of a new company and business.

Ian SaneApril 27, 2005

I don't know if I should be happy or sad that he's retiring.

On one hand this guy played a huge role in making the NES and SNES as awesome as they were. On the other hand his stubborn nature played a big role in Nintendo's fall from dominance. A lot of the really bad habits Nintendo has like being stubborn and telling people what they want was largely inherited by him.

But Iwata hasn't really knocked my socks off yet. He pretty much despresses the hell out of my every time he speaks. But Nintendo has been due for a change and this is a major one. We just don't know how good of a change it will be right away.

I've got to give props to Yamauchi for turning down the pension and letting Nintendo keep the money. It's clear that he's always taken a lot of pride in Nintendo.

KnoxxvilleApril 27, 2005

Yamauchi is Nintendo.

Point. End. Period.

RizeDavid Trammell, Staff AlumnusApril 27, 2005

No, this is because he knows it will suceed so he can now retire in peace.

CaillanApril 27, 2005

Good on him for refusing the money.

Quote

But Iwata hasn't really knocked my socks off yet. He pretty much despresses the hell out of my every time he speaks. But Nintendo has been due for a change and this is a major one.


I used to feel the same way, but to be fair the 'Heart of a Gamer' speech at GDC was good. Even the ranting guy from Burning Down the House said he regretted implying the speech was stupid, and quite a few devs seemed to empathise with him. Look at the 'Question of the Week' replies from Gamasutra. I don't know what he's going to do at E3, but I now look foward to it.

BigJimApril 27, 2005

"PGC wishes Mr. Yamauchi a happy retirement."

Comments like these are always interesting. Ditto for the times people say, "We send our condolences to the friends and family" when someone passes.

I guess it's cheaper than springing for a $2 card or a letter, but he's never going to see this.

MaleficentOgreApril 28, 2005

I think I'm pretty darn happy to see him relinquish controll of the company. As good as he was for the company in the seventies through early ninties he totally bombed out after that. Time for a change.

kennyb27April 28, 2005

It's incredible to think of everything this man pretty much did singlehandedly for the video game industry. Like someone said, he is Nintendo. To see a man like that go, despite my not agreeing with him all the time recently, certainly leaves an footprint that no one will ever be able to fill or forget.

I know that there's not much else for PGC and other sites to do, but it kind of seems wrong to let him go with a little 3 paragraph farewell. (Maybe instead of another female gamer editorial, we can do a story on Yamauchi's life: hint, hint.)

NephilimApril 28, 2005

I hope he has a good retirement and im glad he still is passionate about games even with him retiring, with him turning down his retirement pension.

couchmonkeyApril 28, 2005

Maybe he retired when nobody wanted to do his poem-based animated feature! Although I still think it sounds kind of neat. Anyway, I think it's good to see Yamauchi go. I respect him and sometimes I do worry that Nintendo has, as RABicle might say, "lost the fist" without Yamauchi, but I also think his pride may have left Nintendo a legacy of broken Japanese third-party relations.

I send my best wishes out into the ether of the web as well!

KnoxxvilleApril 28, 2005

In this day and age, the "fist" is a detriment. Rewind back to '87-'88, when Nintendo was the only show in town (yeah, yeah, SMS, but REALLY now....). They could BE iron fisted beacause guess what videogame makers, if you want anyone to buy and play your games, you're gonna hafta put them on our console. Once the stiff comp from Sony showed up, they were still stuck in that mode of thinking. It's no secret that Sony's success was Nintendo's biggest hindsight, and Nintendo's arrogance is the ONLY reason why the Playstation isn't sitting under our Super Nintendos right now!

Now we have 3 major players (I honestly expect EA to release a "sports-only" console, and if you want to play Madden, you have to buy it, but that's another post) vying for gamers dollars. You can't be iron fisted anymore......this is the time for diplomacy.

See you guys at E3!

vuduApril 28, 2005

Quote

At the next shareholders meeting on June 29, the announcment that Yamauchi will be retiring from the company will be made.
Um...if it hasn't been announced yet, how does everyone on the face of the Earth know its gonna happen?

KnoxxvilleApril 28, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: kingvudu
Quote

At the next shareholders meeting on June 29, the announcment that Yamauchi will be retiring from the company will be made.
Um...if it hasn't been announced yet, how does everyone on the face of the Earth know its gonna happen?


Because even though Nintendo was founded on playing cards, Yamauchi does not even understand the concept of bluffing.

GamefreakApril 28, 2005

He many be retiring but you're kidding yourself it you think he doesn't have any direct input anymore. He just doesn't have to show up for work every morning, but he's still going to be a voice in the company. Besides, holding 10% of such a large company's stock....

DjunknownApril 28, 2005

As the old gives way to the new....

One thing that I always wondered is why didn't Yamauchi didn't pass the reins of Nintendo to his children. Either that, or he has no sons....

Let's not forget Yamauchi's parting gift when he stepped down from directly running the company: Fund Q. Now he's not taking the pension? I guess old timers can change some of their ways too. What sort of things can the big N do with a cool 9-14 million dollars?

DeguelloJeff Shirley, Staff AlumnusApril 28, 2005

It's not like the guy's a pauper now. He probably subscribes to the Forrest Gump philosophy that you only really need so much money, and the rest is just for showing off.

oohhboyHong Hang Ho, Staff AlumnusApril 29, 2005

I would know what to do with that kind of money. I mean those Mansions and palaces have little apeal. Owning fast car with no where to race it is not fun. A home theater no where as fun as going to the movies.

Although I wouldn't totally go for the entire Forest Gump deal. I would have the most kick ass computer ever and throw a party every week. Have LAN parties. Maybe the odd playboy parties. But in terms of material goods it would be pretty low.

Yamauchi may have 10% but you gotta ask yourself, what kind of shares are they? common stock? Voting shares? 10% is pretty big, but 10% of what?

Definately an end to an era. The golden age has finally set. Are we going to be in for the long night or a new dawn?

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorApril 29, 2005

I hate the frigging theaters.... if someone sits on my couch and starts crinkling wrappers, they wouldn't be invited back.

terrisusApril 30, 2005

I'm surprised more notice wasn't paid to this happening. Maybe there will be when he makes it official I guess.
It's sad to see him go.

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement