Uemura played a crucial part in the history of Nintendo

It’s one of those sad days for the video game industry. As reported by Archipel, Masayuki Uemura passed away recently in Japan at the age of 78. He is the creator of the NES and Super Nintendo, one of the brightest minds in interactive digital entertainment.

Uemura was born in 1943 to a poor family in Tokyo, only to later move to Kyoto due to World War II bombings. Due to his parents’ lack of money, he began inventing his own toys, which eventually led him to enter the Chiba Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in computer science.

Masayuki Uemura, the former lead architect of the NES and SNES, has passed away. He was one of the genius minds behind some of our best game memories. pic.twitter.com/KO43DIGuTt

— Archipel | アルシペル (@SailToArchipel) December 9, 2021

He ended up leaving his job at Sharp, where he sold semiconductors, to be hired by Nintendo and Gunpei Yokoi’s team in 1972, where he was able to fulfil his dream of developing toys. This would eventually lead him to the company’s hardware division, where he was chosen to be responsible for creating a machine that would allow arcade games to be played on a home television. Thus was born the Nintendo Entertainment System, with Nintendo further increasing its popularity years later with the SNES, also designed by him.

Masayuki Uemura has left a significant mark on the video game industry, and in recent years, although advanced in age, he has made some statements showing that he was still involved in the industry. He has left us some very curious stories, such as the birth of the NES, whose idea initially came about during a night out. He will undoubtedly be remembered as what he is: one of the most brilliant geniuses in the history of video games.

Source: gamerfocus