One of the most influential names in the Japanese video game arena has passed away, it has been revealed.
A former engineer in the Japanese navy, Masaya Nakamura established Nakamura Manufacturing in 1955 after purchasing two mechanical horse ride for $3,000. Due to the intense competition in this arena at the time Nakamura rented space on the roof of a department store, and would personally service and run the rides himself.
His business grew, and in 1958 became Nakamura Amusement Machine Manufacturing Company - or "Namco", the name we know today. Namco started working with Atari, acting as the official distributor for Japan. Nakamura would eventually come to own Atari's ailing Japanese subsidiary, paying $500,000 for it in the mid-'70s. This deal had also secured an exclusive license to distribute Atari's games in Japan for ten years, and turned out to be a wise investment.
However, it was 1980's Pac-Man which really put Namco on the map. The game became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring TV shows and pop songs, as well as other related merchandise. Even to this day, Pac-Man remains a profitable asset for the company. Other notable franchises released over the past few decades include Galaxian, Ridge Racer, Soul Calibur, Tekken, Splatterhouse, Dig Dug and Time Crisis.
Namco was one of the many Japanese companies which benefitted from the incredible success of the Famicom in Japan; in fact, Namco - along with Hudson Soft - was one of the first third parties to be allowed to create software for the system, and was given very generous terms as a result. In 1989, the agreement between Namco and Nintendo came up for renewal, sparking one of the most infamous examples of Nintendo boss Hiroshi Yamauchi's ruthless sense of business.
Nakamura expected the special treatment to continue, but Yamauchi insisted that all Famicom third party publishers should be subject to the same terms. Nakamura's reaction was typical of the man; despite the fact that Namco owed almost half of its revenue to the Famicom, he spoke out about Yamauchi and Nintendo's "stranglehold" over the video game market, telling Nippon Keisai Shimbun:
The game industry is still new. I want it to grow soundly. Nintendo is monopolizing the market, which is not good for the future of the industry. Nintendo should consider itself the leader of the video game industry and accept the responsibility that goes with it.
Namco had already supported the NEC PC Engine, released in 1987. It started making games for the Sega Mega Drive - Genesis in the US - but despite Nakamura's protestations, the company signed Nintendo's third party agreement and continued to support the Famicom. With Nintendo's stranglehold on the market, Namco simply couldn't afford to not have its games on Nintendo hardware.
Namco would support the Super Nintendo in the '90s, but by the middle of the decade it had allied itself with newcomer Sony, creating a range of arcade ports and original titles for its PlayStation platform. In 2005, the company merged with Bandai.
Nakamura's interests were not confined solely to video games. Namco purchased the film studio Nikkatsu in 1993, allowing its founder to dabble in film production. Nakamura's name therefore appears under the credit of "executive producer" on a number of Nikkatsu movies.
In recognition of his impact on the video game industry, Nakamura was inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame in 2010. He was also awarded the Order of the Rising Sun in 2007 by the Japanese government in recognition of his achievements in the world of business and interactive entertainment. As one of the founding fathers of the industry we know and love, his impact cannot be understated; without Namco and Pac-Man, the video game arena would be very different today.
Our thoughts are with Nakamura's family at this difficult time.
Comments 45
R.I.P
Oh my...
May he rest in peace...
RIP
RIP
It's a sad, sad day....
Namco was responsible for many great/happy memories as I grew up. I used to sit in school drawing the Namco logo. thank you for your large contribution to our life's.
R.I.P.
I loved how this man hadn't given up on the arcade market while Nintendo completely moved to the home console market (same goes to SEGA's excellent line of arcade machines).
Well, Nakamura, here's a cup of tea to you
Whatever afterlife there is, I'll see you there soon.
Rest well, sir! Your legacy prevails.
May he rest in peace...
Whatever you feel about his stance on Nintendo back then, it's best to remember that he founded a fantastic studio and one of the better surviving Japanese companies out there today. Rest in Peace.
Thanks for small memories in my life.
This is truly sad news to hear. RIP.
Oh man I love dig dug!
A long and prosperous life - at the end of the day, that's all we can hope for, right?
May he RIP.
Wow.. May Yah comfort his family.
When I hear people talk about Nintendo like this I can't help but to picture Nintendo with mob/yakuza like business dealings. Hmm? I've heard similar stories about Nintendo for awhile now. Haha, ain't no way for people to say the same things about another for over 20 years without any truth to it. I'm just saying..
But anyways.. I enjoyed Dig Dug. Not PAC Man so much. Splaterhouse was cool. Of course Tekken, and SC 1-3 but the rest was unappealing to me.. Ridge Racer was ok..
R.I.P sad news indeed.
As a nice little reminder heres a free playable version ....... SPREAD THE JOY http://macek.github.io/google_pacman/
May he rest in peace. That's one of the things that lets you know you're getting old... Legends start leaving us...
May he join Iwata in that giant arcade in the sky.
RIP
I can only imagine how awesome the industry was back in the day, with these visionaries paving new roads into uncharted territories. Thank you for your namesake, good sir.
@YeshaYahu5417
Actually I have compared Nintendo to the mob before. It is actually a good explanation of the current system. The mob/yakuza tend to be tough, harsh, and inflexible. They also tend to have a level of standards.
I have a bigger problem with Sony and Microsoft. They tend to act more like gangs. Harsh policies, demands of "exclusives", Bad contracts, and mudslinging are common now.
@LordGeovanni
I know right... It's with every multi billion dollar business/corporation. As much as they try to hide it the truth still reveals itself. Nintendo has been around since the mid 1800's, so it's no surprise. But hey, what do we know? We just play games on occasion.. lol They can be yakuza all they want.
@YeshaYahu5417
I have no problem with Nintendo any more than I do the yakuza. Or the old mobs of the USA. But the gangs... Things could be better. I just wish Sony and Microsoft would get their heads oueof their rears.
Ha, the cabinet still has "Puck Man" artwork. Only a tiny little section of the P needs to be scratched away...
R.I.P Mr. Nakamura, you gave people a lot of good memories and fun.
To think Nakamura-san would outlive Iwata-san is just stunning. 91 is a darned good run. I guess Inky and Blinky caught up to him after all
Video games lost a good man. I think some Namco games are in order today. Maybe a little Ace Combat 5, Ms. Pac-Man and Tower of Druaga. Any other suggestions?
Namco owns my soul in the arcades. R.I.P.
Another legend lost. Namco has been on of my favorite companies over the years, with Pac-Man, Tales Of, Ridge Racer, Galaga, Klonoa, and Tekken being my favorite franchises. I'd love to see them all on the Switch someday.
Rest in peace, Nakamura-sama.
91 is a good age. Rest in peace, mister Nakamura.
Damn
Maw sad kitty R.I.P
He wasn't the creator of PACMAN (Toru Iwatani is still very much alive at 62 years old) or even a developer but he was still the president of the company that created PACMAN and his passing will be felt in the industry. Without Namco Nintendo's early sales may not have been as great, and we wouldn't enjoy great collaborations today like Smash Bros Wii U and 3DS that Nintendo worked with Namco Bandai to create.
RIP Nakamura-san, and thank you for your contributions, You are forever linked to my most passionate pastime, and helped shape the gamer I am today.
Namco has done tons of awesome things. Can you imagine the industry without ever having PAC-Man or Soul Calibur or the Tales series?
every single word he said was true and in the end that monopolizing cost nintendo everything, because by the time of the n64 it had almost no third party support and when they invited them to come to the gamecube it was too late, sony and the ps2 ad xbox with the xbox had better deals for them
First, 91 years is a good run. I recall, I believe it was Miyamoto, praising Namco's philosophy of game design and quality testing. It really demonstrated the level Namco was at that Nintendo adopted some of their practices. I missed out on most Namco stuff in my youth, especially in the 8-32-bit period. I've since gone back to try some of their games with many becoming highlights for me on Genesis/Mega Drive(Phelios, Rolling Thunder 2-3) and PC Engine(Dragon Saber). I also admire the fact that Namco used their position as a top developer to call out Nintendo's poor practices back in the day. Thanks for everything, Nakamura-san.
Norm the Gaming Historian has an excellent video on the history of Namco which is worth a watch for those interested and have not seen it.
He's leaving one heck of a legacy. Rest in peace. My condoleses to his friends and family.
At times like this it dawns on one that our gaming icons that made the industry what it is today will die in our lifetime long before we are near to kick the bucket.
Was he related to Shinsuke Nakamura?
@LordGeovanni this comment is so offbase in regards to Sony and Microsoft it's not even funny. Take your NDF glasses off.
@kingc8
Yup. He's up there now with Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde.
This is what it's probably like to be him right now:
http://www.kongregate.com/games/briderider/fps-man
Rest in Peace.
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