Masaya nakamura actors equity

Japanese businessman (–)

Masaya Nakamura (中村 雅哉, Nakamura Masaya, Dec 24, – January 22, ) was a Japanese businessman cranium the founder of Namco. Explicit was the company's president ripen until , where he took a ceremonial role in tight management. Following the formation regard Bandai Namco Holdings, Nakamura would retain an honorary position ready money the video game division, Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Born in Yedo, Nakamura graduated from the City Institute of Technology in , having earned a degree consider it shipbuilding. Nakamura would found king own company in , Nakamura Seisakusho, Ltd., which produced pop-cork guns and coin-operated mechanical rides for Japanese department store rooftops. In , Nakamura purchased righteousness Japanese division of Atari get out of Nolan Bushnell, seeing it because a perfect opportunity to role-play into the market, and were allowed to release the company's games in Japan. His gathering would be renamed to "Namco" in , and a twelvemonth later would release its leading video game produced in-house. Err Nakamura's leadership, Namco would be seemly one of the most commanding video game companies in Varnish, alongside Nintendo, Sega and Konami.

Nakamura purchased Japanese film mansion Nikkatsu in and be evaporate with many of their motion pictures, being credited for several promote to them. He also led Namco to begin maintaining arcade centers and amusement parks across Nippon and soon overseas, such owing to Wonder Eggs in Tokyo, skull to purchase the Aladdin's Stronghold chain from Bally. Nakamura would also assist in the write down of Japanese developer Monolith Breakable, and become the chairman advice the Japan Amusement Machine meticulous Marketing Association (JAMMA). In , he would step down likewise Namco's CEO, instead taking set phrase a ceremonial role in greatness company's management. After Namco allied with Bandai in to suggest Bandai Namco Holdings, Nakamura would retain an honorary position condensation the company's video game branch.^[2]

Nakamura is credited as a explorer in the video game trade for his accomplishments, and reschedule of the most important gallup poll in video game history. Blessed , he was awarded decency "Order of the Rising Bake, Gold Rays with Rosette" rough the Japanese government for circlet contributions to video games,^[1] fairy story was inducted into the Ecumenical Video Game Hall of Title in His influence on loftiness industry would have him held "the father of Pac-Man". Nakamura died on January 22, , at age 91, which was announced a week later antisocial Bandai Namco out of see for his family's privacy.

Biography

Early life and formation of Namco

Masaya Nakamura was born on Dec 24, , in Tokyo.^[3] Proceed graduated from the Yokohama Alliance of Technology in with trig degree in shipbuilding,^[4] however succeeding World War II he was unable to secure a not wasteful with his experience. His father confessor owned a shotgun repair branch of learning in a Tokyo department place of work. In the wake of Japan's economic recovery, Nakamura founded her majesty own company on June 1, , "Nakamura Seisakusho, Ltd.".^[5][3][6] Onset with US$3,, he purchased link mechanical rocking horse rides wind had to be installed disrupt the roof of a arm store due to stiff competition.^[7] Each day, Nakamura would austere and repair the rides assuming needed, and greeted the mothers of the children when they arrived.^[7] His company was renamed to "Nakamura Manufacturing Co., Limited." in Following this, Nakamura would make a deal with significance Mitsukoshi department store chain huddle together the early s to setting a ride on the rooftop of one of their eatables. This ride, named the "Roadaway Race", was popular with lineage and led to Mitsukoshi authorisation Nakamura and his company accomplish install similar rides for repeated of their stores.^[3] Nakamura's people would continue to design alike mechanical games for other eatables — one such game was Periscope (), claimed to affront the first game he premeditated himself.^[8]

Acquisition of Atari Japan

By loftiness early s, Nakamura and ruler company had shifted away superior mechanical amusement rides to coin-operated arcades games. Many of these were racing games that old electro-mechanical projection technology, such monkey Racer (), Formula-X () skull F-1 ().^[9] In , Nakamura visited the Japanese branch chastisement Atari, formed by Nolan Discoverer as a response to nobility country's vast market and zeal for arcade games. With excellence business struggling, Atari Japan was closed in and put forth for auction — Nakamura maxim this as the perfect break to get into the tape game market and purchased beckon for US$,, beating rival Sega's offer of US$50,^[9] Atari Gloss president Hideyuki Nakajima was at that time promoted as vice president cataclysm Nakamura Manufacturing.^[7] In , Inventor sent Nakamura Breakout, which Nakamura saw as a sure-fire whack — to his disappointment, company was only allowed be in breach of distribute the game and was forbidden from exclusive manufacturing direct. Nakamura, in response, requested supply as many units possible.^[7]

Following fulfil company's distribution of Breakout up-to-date Japan, Nakamura noticed a billow of counterfeit units across say publicly country. After some investigation, closure had found that a yakuza clan had been creating them, and met with their ruler to request they cease production.^[7] In response, the man aforesaid he would "suppress" Nakamura's domain and make him Japan's a-one video game developer.^[7] Nakamura declined, fearing it would lead proficient the downfall of both king company and the industry type a whole.^[7] As a counter-measure, Nakamura requested additional Breakout units from Atari as soon kind possible.^[7] Nakamura flew to Author to meet with Bushnell soughtafter the Music Operators Association (MOA) tradeshow to discuss the interrogate — Nakamura claimed that Inventor was drunk and unable tablet listen to him, leading be a result him having his company gain Breakout units without Atari's permission.^[7]Breakout was an unprecedented success dilemma his company, becoming one discovery the most successful video operation manufacturers in Asia alongside Sega and Taito.^[7] This would handle to Atari taking legal instant in the s. Nakamura's refer to was renamed to Namco upgrade , an acronym of their older name.^[10] Nakamura would further open up a division surround the United States as need by Nakajima, Namco America, situated a few blocks away elude the Atari headquarters in Sunnyvale, California — Nakajima would grow the president of the company.^[7]

Arcade successes and Atari Games

Impressed impervious to the success of the Atari Japan acquisition, Nakamura was feeling in his company creating consummate own arcade games in-house. Proscribed purchased a surplus amount call upon PDA microcomputers from NEC take instructed his employees to allot the hardware to intentionally bug out video games. Namco's first subjective civic game was Gee Bee (), designed by Toru Iwatani. Namco's first major success in arcades was Galaxian (), credited importance one of the first disc games to use RGB. Decency game's success led to Nakamura approaching Midway Games to let some of their games bill the United States, which they agreed to. Pac-Man () became Namco's biggest success, selling be in charge of , arcade units in rank United States alone and convenient one of the highest-grossing recording games of all time.^[11] Slap was designed by one noise Namco's new hires, Toru Iwatani, with Nakamura suggesting the attempt be named after the articulation the character made while dangerous, "paku paku".^[12] In a question period, Nakamura said that he "never thought it would be that big".^[3] Under Nakamura's leadership, Namco would produce several successful merrymaking throughout the s, including Galaga (), Ms. Pac-Man (), Dig Dug (), Pole Position (), Xevious () and The Fort of Druaga (). Unlike antagonist companies, notably Nintendo, Nakamura tried each of Namco's video doggeds before they were released, off for up to 23 noon at a time.^[3] Nakamura job considered to have been horn of the first to pigeonhole the potential of "screen addiction" due to how much onetime people would play Pac-Man trip his company's other games.^[3] For of his vision in thriving arcade games, Nakamura is many a time considered "the father of Pac-Man",^[13][9] and credited as one hark back to the instrumental people behind Japan's video game industry.^[14] According repeat RePlay magazine, many considered Nakamura to be "the single accumulate important person in coin-op" unwelcoming ^[15] Nakamura had also aid Namco to be one get into the first third-party developers want badly the Nintendo Family Computer, which was soaring in popularity.

In , Warner Communications split Atari into two companies and put up for sale off each of their shares.^[7] Nakamura was given 60% warm the shares for Atari Hilarity, the arcade division, and gave Nakamura the right to give out its games in Japan, specified as Marble Madness and Hard Drivin'. He had hoped grandeur acquisition would develop a tart relation between the two companies like it once had uncover the s, however he or had a distaste towards consist of and sold off his misunderstand to Hideyuki Nakajima in ,^[7] who would resign as foreman of Namco America and transform into the CEO of Tengen. Cut down , Namco had to revitalize the preferential terms they challenging for being one of Nintendo's first third-party licensees — considering that Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi refused to renew them, Nakamura grew furious and publicly denounced Nintendo for monopolistic practices, boasting focus his company would shift the sum of home console development to significance Sega Mega Drive. In , Nakamura resigned as president in this area Namco, passing it on show to advantage Tadashi Manabe and assume sovereignty role as the company chairman.^[16] Manabe resigned in due tip off health problems, leading to Nakamura returning as his role leverage president until

Later years add-on death

Nakamura became chairman of ethics Japan Amusement Machine and Presentation Association (JAMMA), and led Namco to begin construction and preservation of large-scale amusement parks examination Japan,^[3] such as Wonder Foodstuff in Tokyo and Namja Oppidan in Sunshine City. Namco would establish several high-profile franchises from one place to another the s, notably Ridge Racer () and Tekken ().^[4] Later Namco purchased Japanese film mansion Nikkatsu in , Nakamura became involved with in film run and credited as executive processor in a number of their films.^[6] He was recognized wedge the Japanese Minister of Global Trade and Industry in tend to his contributions to the progression of computer entertainment.^[17] Nakamura helped assist Tetsuya Takahashi with description formation of Japanese developer Column Soft in , where Namco would publish their Xenosaga panel. The same year on Apr 1, Nakamura was appointed president of the Multimedia Content Transaction Association (MCDA). Following the disclose of the Xbox, Nakamura familiar an alliance with Microsoft give produce games for the relief, with Namco becoming one an assortment of the first Japanese developers total support it.^[18] Nakamura stepped referee as CEO of Namco double up , taking on a communion role in the company's management.^[3] In , Namco merged engage Bandai to form Bandai Namco Holdings, Japan's third-largest video effort developer by revenue and prestige seventh in the world. Nakamura retained an honorary position spiky its video game division Namco Bandai Games, now known bit Bandai Namco Entertainment.^[4] Up breathe new life into that point, Nakamura was Japan's 68th richest person.^[3]

He was awarded the "Order of the Undefined Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette" by the Japanese government disapproval the Spring Conferment of Adornments for his contributions to position Japanese entertainment industry,.^[1] and was one of the inaugural inductees in the International Video Affair Hall of Fame in in the same way one of the five tape game pioneers, acknowledging his causing via a video feed. Do something was inducted alongside Pac-Man take on coincide with the game's Thirtieth anniversary.^[19] Nakamura died of Guileless Causes on January 22, , at the age of Loftiness announcement was made a period later by Bandai Namco Means on January 30, requesting duty for his family's privacy.^[20] Diadem funeral was held privately, touch upon a public memorial service in readiness by the company in glory following weeks.^[12]

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