According to the University located in Kyoto, Masayuki Uemura, an iconic Japanese video game console creator whose Nintendo consoles were sold to millions across the globe, has passed away. He was 78 and was a lecturer at the University.
Uemura, the architect in charge behind Nintendo Co’s pioneering home consoles, passed away Monday morning, Ritsumeikan University announced in an announcement. The reason for his death has not been revealed.
Uemura graduated with his engineering degree in 1943 but joined the Nintendo team way later in 1971.
The then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi gave Uemura the task in 1981 to create a home console to play games such as Donkey Kong, which was an enormous success throughout the United States but was only made available for use in arcades.
The Famicom game console hit the Japanese market back in 1983. Nintendo’s first console with a cartridge input allowed users to play retro games on cassettes. Japan debuted the Super Famicom later in the ’90s.
The Nintendo Entertainment System, as it was called, debuted in the United States in 1985 and was later a global phenomenon and sold over 60 million units around the world, bringing global acceptance to the company that had previously manufactured traditional Japanese cards, games, game cards, and toys.
After a decade of service, Uemura left Nintendo and decided to switch to a teaching career at Ritsumeikan University.
“We offer our heartfelt appreciation for Mr. Uemura’s huge contributions to the development of the game industry by introducing a variety of video game consoles, including family computers,” Ritsumeikan University issued an official statement. “May he rest in peace.”
Source: JapanToday
Also read about Man Broke into Ex’s Apartment To Steal Her Nintendo Switch