Miyamoto expresses surprise and sadness at Iwata’s passing

Shigeru Miyamoto has expressed his sadness at the news of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s passing.

The Nintendo CEO, who had overseen the launch of huge successes such as the Wii and DS, has received a wave of tributes from across the industry shocked by the news.

In a statement, acclaimed game designer Miyamoto expressed his surprise and sadness at Iwata’s passing.

"I am truly surprised and saddened by this unexpected news," he said.

"The entire development team at Nintendo will remain committed to our development policy which Mr Iwata and we have been constructing together and to yield the development results which Mr Iwata would appreciate."

Iwata is one of a few candidates tipped as a potential successor to Iwata. He has been with the company since 1977, and is one of two directors currently at the company. The other is integrated research division boss Genyo Takeda.

Another potential candidate for the role, Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata, has also released a statement.

"Nintendo of Europe is today mourning the passing of Mr. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s global president,” he said.

“It is difficult to put into words the sadness we feel at this time. Mr. Iwata was a strong leader, a unique figure in the gaming industry and an important part of Nintendo’s history. He was a visionary in every sense of the word and we will miss him dearly. Just as Mr. Iwata challenged us to always push forward, we will ensure his legacy lives on through our on-going work to always surprise and delight our fans. At this time our thoughts are with his family."

In remembrance of Mr. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo will not be posting on our social media channels today. pic.twitter.com/N2kR0OKEXh

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 13, 2015

Image credit: Vincent Diamante