Over the weekend, the world lost a giant. Satoru Iwata was more than a CEO. He was a hero to many, many people.

Some links:

• This is the official announcement from Nintendo that made the world aware of Iwata-san’s death.
• An appreciation post by Matt Peckham of Time, entitled Why Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Mattered.

Though Matt’s article does capture a lot of the facts, one important facet of Satoru Iwata’s leadership that clearly mattered both inside the company and out was the fact that he was a developer who rose to the top without losing his passion for the community of which he was a part.

This tweet from Xbox division head Phil Spencer is just one example that shows the esteem in which Iwata was held:

Sad day for Iwata-san’s family, friends, and gamers everywhere. His passion, creativity & leadership elevated our industry.

One final link: To truly get a sense of Iwata as a person, take a read of this interview he did with his own employees, part of a series called Iwata Asks. To me, it really captures the essence of his playful spirit.