Hiroshi Yamauchi
Born 1927 · Age 98
Japanese businessman; third president of Nintendo (1949–2002) who transformed the company from a hanafuda playing-card maker into a global video-game giant; owner of the Seattle Mariners (1992–2013).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Kyoto, Japan
Born to mother Kimi and father Shikanojo Inaba in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto.
Sent to preparatory school in Kyoto
At age 12 he was sent to a preparatory school in Kyoto.
Worked in military factory during WWII
Too young for conscription during WWII, he was put to work in a military factory; schooling disrupted by the war.
Enrolled at Waseda University (law)
After World War II ended, he entered Waseda University to study law.
Married Michiko Inaba
Marriage arranged/approved by grandparents (wife Michiko Inaba).
Asked to assume Nintendo presidency (grandfather's stroke)
After grandfather Sekiryo Kaneda suffered a stroke he was summoned to take over the company, forcing him to leave university.
Renamed company Nintendo Karuta and moved HQ to Kyoto
Changed company name and established new headquarters in Kyoto early in his tenure.
Reorganized staff and asserted authority at Nintendo
Refused to tolerate opposition: fired his older cousin (per agreement), fired long-time employees during a factory strike and changed company structure.
Became President of Nintendo (3rd president)
Officially joined/took over the company; later would serve as president until 24 May 2002.
Birth of first child, daughter Yōko
First child Yōko born to Michiko and Hiroshi Yamauchi.
Births of daughter Fujiko and son Katsuhito
Daughter Fujiko born in 1957, followed shortly after by son Katsuhito.
Licensed Walt Disney for plastic playing cards
Struck a licensing deal with Disney for playing-card designs; product positioned to appeal to family party games.
Disney playing cards sold ~600,000 units in one year
The Disney-branded plastic playing card line was an unprecedented hit, selling about 600,000 units in a single year and giving Nintendo market domination in Japan.
Company renamed Nintendo Co., Ltd. and taken public (post-success)
Following the Disney-card success Yamauchi changed the company name, took the company public and became chairman (date given relative to the success).
Visited U.S. Playing Card Company; decided to diversify beyond cards
A trip to Cincinnati revealed card manufacturing limits and led to broad diversification attempts (taxis, instant rice, love hotels).
Diversification into non-core businesses (taxi, instant rice, love hotels)
Yamauchi expanded into taxi company 'Daiya', individually portioned instant rice, and other ventures; many failed and nearly bankrupted Nintendo.
Ordered Gunpei Yokoi to commercialize the 'Ultra Hand' (toy hit)
Gunpei Yokoi's extendable claw was developed into the Ultra Hand at Yamauchi's direction; its success shifted Nintendo into toy making.
Established Games & Setup R&D department; shifted focus to toys/electronics
Created a new department (initially staffed by Gunpei Yokoi and one finance employee) to design toys and electronic amusements.
Licensed/distributed Magnavox Odyssey in Japan
Negotiated a license to sell the Magnavox Odyssey console in Japan, marking early steps into electronic video games.
Launched Color TV-Game series in Japan
After hiring out of Sharp, Nintendo launched the Color TV-Game 6 and follow-ups—its first in-home TV games.
Hired Minoru Arakawa to head Nintendo of America
Expanded Nintendo into the U.S. arcade/home market by appointing his son-in-law Minoru Arakawa to head the American operation.
Instituted competing R&D groups within Nintendo
Set up three separate R&D units competing with one another (R&D1 headed by Gunpei Yokoi), a development process that fostered innovation.
Game & Watch handhelds launched (R&D1/Gunpei Yokoi)
Gunpei Yokoi's Game & Watch (single-game handheld LCD) series created Nintendo's first major handheld gaming success.
Approved Shigeru Miyamoto's Donkey Kong (arcade success)
After several earlier U.S. titles failed, Yamauchi greenlit Miyamoto's Donkey Kong which became a smash hit in arcades.
Promoted artist-driven software development
Advocated that artists, not technicians, made great games and ensured systems were easy to program to encourage creative software development.
Launched the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan
Launched the Famicom home video game console; he ambitiously promised 1,000,000 orders within two years and the system met/exceeded that goal.
Released Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in United States
The Famicom was released in the U.S. as the NES and became a cornerstone of Nintendo's global expansion.
Credited as Executive Producer on The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Yamauchi is credited as an executive producer on many flagship Nintendo titles beginning with classics such as The Legend of Zelda.
Released Super Famicom in Japan (Super Nintendo internationally)
Launched Nintendo's 16-bit console in Japan in 1990 (1991 in North America; 1992 in Europe), which sold out rapidly in Japan.
Purchased the Seattle Mariners (Major League Baseball)
Acquired the Mariners franchise; MLB initially resisted but approved under condition Yamauchi hold less than 50% of voting rights; handed operational control to Nintendo of America.
Transferred operational rights of Mariners to Nintendo of America
After purchasing the Seattle Mariners, Yamauchi signed operational rights to Nintendo of America (represented by CEO Howard Lincoln); Howard Lincoln later served as team CEO from 1999.
Profiled as 'The most feared and respected man in the videogame industry'
Next Generation (1995) reported that Yamauchi, though 68, remained very much in charge and characterized his leadership as feared/respected.
Virtual Boy released (commercial failure)
Under Yamauchi the Virtual Boy was released in 1995; it failed commercially though he publicly retained faith.
Nintendo fiscal year revenue: ¥416 billion
Nintendo achieved revenues of 416 billion yen in the fiscal year ending 31 March 1995.
Launched Nintendo 64
Released the 3D-capable Nintendo 64 console; around this time Yamauchi publicly stated he wanted to retire but felt there were no suitable successors.
Expressed desire to retire but reluctant due to lack of successor
Publicly stated he wanted to retire but felt there were no suitable successors; continued to exert strong control.
Announced intent to retire by 2000
Publicly stated he planned to retire by 2000 and wanted to end his career with the launch of 64DD.
Announced Dolphin (GameCube) development with IBM/Matsushita
In 1999 Nintendo announced the next system (codenamed Dolphin) using an IBM Gekko processor and Matsushita DVD tech; it would become the GameCube.
Seattle Mariners first profit since acquisition: $2.6M
In 2000 the Mariners posted their first profit of $2.6 million since Yamauchi's acquisition.
Publicly remained uninterested in attending Mariners games
Yamauchi never attended a Seattle Mariners game despite owning the team.
Spoke at E3 re: Xbox impact on GameCube
Addressed at E3 about how Microsoft's Xbox might affect Nintendo's GameCube strategy (public commentary at industry event).
Credited on late-era Nintendo titles and final-era executive producer credits
Continued to be credited as executive producer on many Nintendo titles through 2002 and beyond (e.g., Paper Mario, Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Pokémon titles).
Stepped down as President of Nintendo; succeeded by Satoru Iwata
After 53 years as president he stepped down and Satoru Iwata became president; Yamauchi became chairman of the board.
Refused retirement pension reported at $9–14M
Reported to have declined a retirement pension of approximately $9–14 million, stating Nintendo could use the money better.
Left Nintendo board of directors
Stepped down from the board due to age and belief that leadership was secure; also refused his retirement pension (reported $9–14M).
Founded Shigureden (museum of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu poetry)
Established Shigureden, a museum devoted to classical Japanese poetry, in Kyoto.
Reported to hold ~10% of Nintendo shares; Japan's wealthiest (est. $7.8B)
As of 2008 Yamauchi retained a significant Nintendo stake (~10%) and was ranked Japan's wealthiest person with estimated fortune of $7.8 billion.
Donated majority of ¥7.5 billion to build cancer treatment center in Kyoto
Donated the majority of 7.5 billion yen toward construction of a new cancer treatment center in Kyoto.
Forbes estimated net worth at $2.1 billion (April 2013)
Forbes ranked Yamauchi as the 13th richest person in Japan and 491st in the world with an estimated net worth of $2.1B in April 2013.
Died of pneumonia complications in Kyoto
Died at a hospital in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto on 19 September 2013 aged 85; remained Nintendo's largest shareholder at time of death.
Posthumous release credit: Star Fox 2 (released 2017)
Star Fox 2 (originally unreleased) saw an official release in 2017; Yamauchi is credited posthumously on several titles.
Key Achievement Ages
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