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Hiroshi Yamauchi (山内溥, Yamauchi Hiroshi, 7 November 1927 – 19 September 2013) was a Japanese businessman and the third president of Nintendo, joining the company in 1949 until stepping down on 24 May 2002, being subsequently succeeded by Satoru Iwata. During his 53-year tenure, Yamauchi transformed Nintendo from a hanafuda card-making company that had been active solely in Japan into a multi-billion-dollar video game publisher and global conglomerate. He was the great-grandson of Fusajiro Yamauchi, Nintendo's first president and founder.

In April 2013, Forbes estimated Yamauchi's net worth at $2.1 billion; he was the 13th richest person in Japan and the 491st richest in the world. In 2008, Yamauchi was Japan's wealthiest person with a fortune at that time estimated at $7.8 billion. At the time of his death, Yamauchi was the largest shareholder at Nintendo.

Early life[edit]

  • Yamauchi was born on 7 November 1927 in Kyoto[1]
  • He was born to Shikanojo Inaba and his wife, Kimi Yamauchi
  • He is the great-grandson of Nintendo founder Fusajiro Yamauchi.[2]
  • Inaba came from a family of craftsmen[3]: 16 
  • Due to the family of his mother having no male heirs, Inaba took on his wife's surname[4]
  • However, his father abandoned the family when Yamauchi was five years old, so he was instead sent to live with his grandparents, Sekiryo Kaneda and his wife, Tei[4]
  • In 1940, Yamauchi went to a preparatory school in Kyoto, but when World War II started, he went to go work in a military factory[3]: 17–18 
  • Following the war, he studied law at Waseda University, and entered into an arranged marriage with Michiko Inaba[3]: 18 

Career at Nintendo[edit]

  • Yamauchi's career at Nintendo began when Kaneda suffered a stroke in 1948[5]: 37 
  • Since Yamauchi was the first son since Fusajiro, he would become the heir of the company[3]: 18 
  • Yamauchi accepted the position as long as several conditions were met, such as forcing Kaneda to fire Yamauchi's cousin so that he would be the only heir of Nintendo[3]: 18–19 
  • In 1949, at the age of 22, Yamauchi became the third president of Nintendo[6]: 111 
  • His appointment rankled the existing longtime employees, who were concerned about Yamauchi's youth and lack of business experience; in response, Yamauchi fired the employees loyal to his grandfather who he thought might challenge his authority[1][3]: 19 

Expansion[edit]

  • Yamauchi saw that one of his factory workers, Gunpei Yokoi, had made an extendible arm toy[7]
  • He asked Yokoi to turn his invention into a marketable product for the upcoming Christmas season[8]
  • Yokoi added a set of cups and ping-pong balls for children to stack; the Ultra Hand ending up selling 1.4 million units[8]
  • Yamauchi created a Games division at Nintendo in 1970[9]

Seattle Mariners owner[edit]

  • In January 1992, Yamauchi announced that his family would join a Seattle ownership group to buy the Mariners for $100 million[10][11]
  • This proposal was opposed by baseball officials including MLB commissioner Fay Vincent, who took issue with an American team being owned by a non-North American entity[10][12][13]
  • On June 12, 1992, MLB approved the sale of the Mariners to the ownership group; the team owners voted 25-1 in favor of the sale[14]
  • Yamauchi remained uninterested in baseball, never attending a single Mariners game throughout his ownership tenure[15]

Personal life[edit]

  • Yamauchi was married to Michiko Inaba[3]: 18 
  • He had three children: a son named Katsuhito, and two girls, Yuko and Fujiko[16]: 12–13 
  • Katsuhito worked in Nintendo's advertising department[17]
  • Inaba died on July 29, 2012; her cause of death was undisclosed to the public[18]
  • Yamauchi did not play games or sports, though he did enjoy Go in his free time[19]

Philanthropy[edit]

  • In 2010, Yamauchi majorly funded an eight-floor 82,000 square-foot cancer treatment center in Kyoto, donating nearly all of the ¥7.5 billion needed to build the facility[20]

Death[edit]

Legacy[edit]

  • Yamauchi is treated as a visionary who helped guide Nintendo to industry dominance and helped oversee some of the most important moments in video game history[21]
    • Yamauchi is remembered for his belief that video games should be focused around creativity instead of technological capability[22][23][24]
    • He strongly believed that players only cared about whether games were fun or not, and was critical of hardware manufacturers and game developers for placing too much emphasis on graphical fidelity[25]
    • When The New York Times asked him about the Nintendo 64's lack of launch titles in 1996, Yamauchi said that it was preferable to flooding the market with a barrage of potentially mediocre games and damaging players' trust; he reiterated that developers must create new gameplay experiences to keep consumers happy[17]
    • In a 2001 interview with The Nikkei, he said that consoles like the GameCube should be priced as cheaply as possible because consumers only care about the software[26]
    • Even in retirement, Yamauchi helped influence the direction of the Nintendo DS by suggesting the handheld device have two screens[27][28][29]
    • He described his principles as "originality" or "surprise", and viewed philosophies surrounding incremental progress (such as kaizen) with disdain[30]
    • Satoru Iwata: "He couldn't stand making the same kind of toy the other guy was making so whatever you showed him, you knew he was going to ask, 'How is this different from what everybody else is doing?' The worst way to answer was to tell him, 'It's not different, it's just a little better.' He'd be furious. He was very clear on just how foolish that attitude was for a toy company. So in that sense, 'Do something different from the other guy!' is deeply engrained in our DNA."[31]
    • Yamauchi's philosophy would continue to shape Nintendo long after his retirement; The Guardian cites the Wii's use of motion controls and cheaper price point as an example[32]
    • Current Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa noted in a 2021 interview that the company is still influenced by the principles of both Yamauchi and Iwata, saying that "it was Yamauchi who laid the foundation of our universal way of thinking and the foundation of Nintendo today."[33]
    • However, in the years following Yamauchi's death, Nintendo chose to move away from his managerial style, opting for a more collaborative governing process where decisions were not solely made by individual leaders[34]
  • Characterized as a "stubborn, hard-headed man" who "ruled Nintendo with an iron hand", he was known to be a tough businessman who demanded a lot from his employees and was difficult to please[17][27]
    • Henk Rogers recalls: "He was tough as nails and quick to reach a decision [...] When he did, everybody fell in line. He was a difficult man to please. If you publicly disagreed with him, your days were numbered."[22]
    • Yamauchi disliked formally written corporate philosophy, opting to verbally communicate his ideas about Nintendo to his subordinates[31]
  • Legacy
    • In 2016, Yamauchi was inducted into the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame under the title "Video Game Futurist"[35]
    • Yamauchi is portrayed by Togo Igawa in Tetris (2023), a film depicting Henk Rogers' attempt to acquire the rights to the titular game for the Game Boy[36][37]

Notes[edit]


References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Tabuchi, Hiroko (19 September 2013). "Hiroshi Yamauchi, Who Steered Nintendo to Dominance, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  2. ^ Inoue, Osamu (18 January 2022). Nintendo Magic: Winning the Videogame Wars. Vertical Inc. ISBN 978-1-64729-145-7.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Sheff, David; Eddy, Andy (1999). Game Over: Press Start to Continue—The Maturing of Mario (1st GamePress ed.). Wilton, Connecticut: CyberaActive. ISBN 978-0-9669617-0-6. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Schofield, Jack (19 September 2013). "Hiroshi Yamauchi obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ Harris, Blake J. (2014). Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation. New York: It Books. ISBN 978-0-06-227670-4. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  6. ^ Stanton, Richard (2015). A Brief History of Video Games. Great Britain: Robinson. ISBN 978-1-47211-880-6. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  7. ^ Buchanan, Levi (10 September 2009). "From Janitor to Superstar". IGN. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b Alt, Matt (12 November 2020). "How Gunpei Yokoi Reinvented Nintendo". Vice. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  9. ^ Crigger, Lara (6 March 2007). "Searching for Gunpei Yokoi". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b Chass, Murray (24 January 1992). "Approval of Japanese Bid to Buy Mariners Unlikely". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  11. ^ Malkin, Lawrence (24 January 1992). "Nintendo Leads Bid to Buy Baseball's Mariner Franchise: Japan Inc. Strikes out in Los Angeles, but Strikes Back in Seattle". The New York Times. International Herald Tribune. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  12. ^ Reid, T. R. (24 January 1992). "Owner of Japan's Nintendo Firm Bids to Buy Seattle Baseball Club". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  13. ^ Wulf, Steve (10 February 1992). "An Outside Pitch". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  14. ^ Berkowitz, Steve; Fachet, Robert (12 June 1992). "Owners Okay Mariners Sale, Japanese Investment". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ^ Scullion, Chris (11 January 2021). "That Time When… Nintendo bought a baseball team". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  16. ^ Ryan, Jeff (2012). Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America (2nd ed.). United States: Portfolio. ISBN 978-1-59184-563-8. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Pollack, Andrew (26 August 1996). "Seeking a Turnaround With Souped-Up Machines and a Few New Games". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  18. ^ Thiel, Art (15 August 2012). "Wife of Mariners owner Yamauchi dies". Sportspress Northwest. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  19. ^ Martin, Molly (16 July 1992). "Inside The Mountain – Climbing A Culture To Meet New M's Owner In Kyoto". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  20. ^ Winterhalter, Ryan (20 May 2010). "Former Nintendo President Yamauchi Builds $83 Million Cancer Hospital". 1up.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  21. ^ Melia, Mike (19 September 2013). "Remembering Hiroshi Yamauchi, who took Nintendo from playing cards, to love hotels, to electronics giant". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  22. ^ a b Parkin, Simon (20 September 2013). "Postscript: The Man Behind Nintendo". The New Yorker. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Interview: Hiroshi Yamauchi". IGN. 14 February 2004. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo chief for over 50 years, dies at 85". The Washington Post. 19 May 2013. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  25. ^ Smith, David (13 February 2004). "Hiroshi Yamauchi on Nintendo's Future". 1up.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  26. ^ Lake, Max (26 May 2001). "NCL President Yamauchi on GameCube, Post E3". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  27. ^ a b Thomas, Lucas M. (25 May 2012). "Hiroshi Yamauchi: Nintendo's Legendary President". IGN. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  28. ^ Gach, Ethan (1 January 2017). "The Man Who Worked On The Original Game Boy Explains Why Nintendo Created The DS". Kotaku. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  29. ^ Totilo, Stephen (13 May 2004). "Taking the Game War To a Second Front". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  30. ^ Soble, Jonathan (20 September 2013). "Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo president, 1927-2013". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  31. ^ a b Inoue, Osamu (2022). Nintendo Magic: Winning the Videogame Wars. Kodansha USA. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-64729-145-7. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  32. ^ Stuart, Keith (19 September 2013). "Farewell, Mr Mario – former Nintendo head Hiroshi Yamauchi dies". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  33. ^ Robinson, Andy (18 February 2021). "Nintendo is still influenced by Yamauchi and Iwata, says president". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  34. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2 May 2018). "Nintendo shifting away from individual leadership". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  35. ^ McFerran, Damien (29 April 2016). "Late Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi Inducted Into 2016 Consumer Technology Hall Of Fame". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  36. ^ Welsh, Oli (16 February 2023). "First trailer for Tetris movie could not be more '80s if it tried". Polygon. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  37. ^ Brady, Erin (16 February 2023). "Tetris Trailer: Taron Egerton Helps Bring The Classic Video Game To The World". /Film. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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