Namco is probably one of the biggest companies in gaming today, responsible for so many classic titles like Tekken and Pac-Man. News has it that the company founder, Masaya Nakamura, has passed away, and many members of the gaming community have come together to mourn his loss, including Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada.
Masaya Nakamura, 1925-2017
According to Gaming Bolt, it was revealed that Nakamura had passed away at the age of 91. It was confirmed in an official statement from Bandai Namco, and it was also said that Nakamura's family wishes to withhold the exact cause of his death.
Namco is considered to be one of the pioneers of modern video games, being responsible for classic arcade games like Galaga and Pac-Man. Namco was even named after Nakamura himself - it stands for Nakamura Amusement Machine Company.
Katsuhiro Harada In Mourning
Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has even expressed his sentiments online via Twitter. He writes, "I'm in deep mourning. He has been like a father to me. Rest in peace." At the end of the post, Harada also added a link to Nakamura's Wikipedia page.
Seeing that Tekken is on of Namco's biggest titles, it would only make sense that Harada was familiar with Nakamura in some level. As of now, fans of his are gearing up for the release of Tekken 7 this coming June 2.
Though originally set for an earlier release date, Tekken 7's release had been pushed back in order for the developers to make sure that there are no bugs with the game upon release. Harada had even compared their predicament to Capcom, who found themselves in a huge fiasco after numerous complaints followed the release of Street Fighter V.
Though Nakamura has passed, his family can be rest-assured that the entire gaming community is thankful to him and his company for making video games what they are today. Rest in peace, Nakamura-san.
