Japanese video game maker Nintendo said Friday that its charismatic president Hiroshi Yamauchi, 74, would step down after more than half a century at the helm, handing power to a carefully groomed management group.
Yamauchi, outspoken but publicity-shy and a standout with his purple suits and plainspoken style, guided Nintendo's meteoric rise from a tiny maker of card games to a video game powerhouse.
His strategy, centered on creating innovative games rather than building ambitious entertainment technology like the rival PlayStation 2 and Xbox, is expected to remain intact under the new management team. Taking the post of president on May 31 will be Satoru Iwata, the 42-year-old chief of corporate planning who joined the company two years ago from a game software developer.
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