It was announced earlier today that Masaya Nakamura, the founder of Namco, sadly passed away at 91 years old.
The Nintendo of America Twitter account has posted a short but heartfelt Tweet about his passing. The company advised that as a third party partner, Namco has been a big part of Nintendo’s History, and also noted that he changed gaming for the better.
As a 3P partner Namco has been a big part of Nintendo's history, thanks in large part to Masaya Nakamura. He changed gaming for the better.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 30, 2017
Masaya Nakamura founded Namco in 1955 which was based in Tokyo. The company initially started out making children’s rides for department stores, and eventually progressed on to create arcade games. In 1970, Namco released a coin-operated driving simulator named Racer, which was followed by their first video game GeeBee in 1978. Pac-Man was later released in 1980 and became an iconic arcade title, which is often the most associated title with Namco’s brand.
It is safe to say that Masaya Nakamura had a monumental impact on the gaming industry and will be remembered through his work.
It’s another sad day for us gamers…rest in peace.
He founded my childhood favourite company :(
May he rest in peace.
😢
Hvil i fred :( The World needs people like him.
I didn’t know he was the founder of the company. He should be miss. 😞
Playing my Pac-Man Fever CD all day
Rest in peace, your legacy will stay alive. Pacman has become a pop icon.
Wakka wakka all the way to Heaven, good man.
They say legends never die. So we shall keep Nakamura, Iawata, and Yamauchi in our hearts. Rest in Peace.
Iwata*
Um ícone dos games, vai deixar saudades
Yet the four founders of Sega are still alive to this day.
He didn’t even live long enough to see Tekken 7 hit the consoles.
Pac-Man is crying right now. And I came darn close.
R.I.P. Nakamura.