Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash

It is often said that we lose our innocence when we grow up. While undoubtedly true, this isn’t the only trait we shake off as we venture into adulthood.

Children are innocent not just through their small stature or their inability to judge certain actions, but also through their sincerity. Show a child an ugly painting and he or she will not hesitate to call it just that. In this respect, the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata trusted the young demographic as a good indicator of the company’s direction.

I’ve never once been embarrassed that children have supported Nintendo. That’s because children judge products based on instinct.

– Satoru Iwata (December 6, 1959 – July 11, 2015)

Iwata initially started out as a programmer working at HAL Laboratory and helped create the likes of Super Smash Bros., Kirby, and Pokémon. He went on to become president of the development studio in 1993. Seven years later, he joined Nintendo’s corporate ranks and, in 2002 he succeeded Hiroshi Yamauchi as president.

He oversaw the development of the widely successful Nintendo DS and Wii consoles, and propelled the Japanese company to new heights using what is referred to as “blue ocean” strategy.

Iwata was the fourth president and chief executive officer CEO of Nintendo, and the first in the company’s history who was outside of the founding Yamauchi family. We tip our hats to Iwata for marking the childhood of millions, including some of us here at 4PSA. May he rest in peace!

Also, kudos to BlueStreamBrony for a very inspired visual tribute to Iwata (above).