Nintendo President And CEO Satoru Iwata has passed away aged 55 from cancer.
The company released a statement confirming that Iwata died on the 11 July from a bile duct growth.
Iwata had surgery in 2014 and it was believed that the operation had been a success with Iwata returning to work shortly afterwards.
There has been an outpouring of tributes to the much-loved CEO from those both in and outside of the industry.
Under his leadership Nintendo released both the DS and Wii consoles. The DS and 3DS range remains one of the most successful console lineups in the industry and has been a consistent anchor for the company's profits.
More recently however Nintendo has been struggling to adapt. The Wii U was not as successful as the company had hoped while it's decision to finally launch smartphone games has been seen by many to be a dangerously late move.
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Despite this Iwata was hugely loved by Nintendo fans and by those in the industry. While he was the CEO, Iwata always considered himself a gamer first and foremost.
In typical Nintendo fashion the company would refuse to hold press conferences. Instead Iwata would personally present the company's quirky 'Nintendo Direct' broadcasts where he would reveal the games that are coming out and that were currently in development.