Minoru Arakawa
| Minoru Arakawa 荒川 實 | |
|---|---|
 Photo of Minoru Arakawa circa 2007 | |
| Born | 1947 (age 79)[1] |
| Super Mario–related role | President of Nintendo of America |
| Years active | 1979-2002[2][1] |
Minoru Arakawa (in Japanese: 荒川 實) is a Japanese businessman who served as the first president of Nintendo of America, appointed directly by Hiroshi Yamauchi, his father-in-law, in 1979.[2]
One of his first major projects as president was to oversee the localization and distribution of the arcade game Radar Scope in the U.S. Due to overestimating the game's reception, around 2,000 machines of the game ended up unsold. To recoup costs, Arakawa requested Yamauchi to produce a new game which could be retroactively installed in the unsold machines. Yamauchi responded by appointing fledgling game designer Shigeru Miyamoto to lead the project that would eventually become Donkey Kong.[3] Arakawa is also credited alongside Don James with coming up with Mario's name, naming him after Nintendo of America's warehouse landlord Mario Segale.[4] Under the recommendation of Nintendo of America employee Howard Phillips, Arakawa also opted to not release the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 and instead requested Nintendo to retool another game, Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, into a Super Mario game, releasing it in U.S. markets as Super Mario Bros. 2.[5] Arakawa left the position in 2002, being succeeded by Tatsumi Kimishima.[1]
In 2007, Minoru Arakawa, alongside Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln, were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame for their accomplishments under the American branch.[6]
[edit]
- NES Open Tournament Golf - Executive Producer (English version only)
- Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64) - Special Thanks
- Paper Mario - Special Thanks
- Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color) - Special Thanks
- Mario Party 3 - Special Thanks
- Dr. Mario 64 - Special Thanks
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit - Special Thanks
- Super Smash Bros. Melee - Marketing supervision
- Nintendo Puzzle Collection - Special Thanks
Gallery[edit]
Minoru Arakawa circa 1992
References[edit]
- ^ a b c January 7, 2002. Nintendo Of America President Retires, Replaced By Pokemon USA Exec. Game Developer. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ^ a b Nintendo History. Nintendo of Europe. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ^ Travis Fahs (July 6, 2011). The Secret History of Donkey Kong. Game Developer. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ^ NintendoEverything (June 15, 2018). Nintendo Treehouse Live - E3 2018 - Arcade Archives Donkey Kong, Sky Skipper (2:12). YouTube. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ^ Irwin, Jon (October 6, 2014). Super Mario Bros. 2. Boss Fight Books. ISBN 978-1940535050. Page 41. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ List of Lifetime Achievement award winners. Retrieved July 19, 2026 from https://www.interactive.org/.
