Masaya Nakamura (businessman) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Masaya Nakamura
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| 中村 雅哉 | |
Nakamura in 2006
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| Born | 24 December 1925 |
| Died | 22 January 2017 (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of Namco |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun (4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette) |
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Masaya Nakamura (born December 24, 1925 – died January 22, 2017) was a Japanese businessman. He is best known as the founder of Namco, a famous video game company. He was often called the "father of Pac-Man" because of his big role in creating the game.
Nakamura led Namco to become one of the biggest video game companies in Japan. It stood alongside other giants like Nintendo and Sega. He also helped create amusement parks and even bought a film studio. His work changed the world of video games forever.
Contents
Life and the Start of Namco
Early Life and First Business Ideas
Masaya Nakamura was born in Tokyo, Japan, on December 24, 1925. He went to the Yokohama Institute of Technology. In 1948, he earned a degree in shipbuilding. After World War II, it was hard to find a job in that field.
His father had a business fixing shotguns in a department store. In 1955, Nakamura decided to start his own company. He called it "Nakamura Seisakusho, Ltd." He bought two mechanical rocking horse rides. He put them on the roof of a department store. Every day, he would clean and fix the rides. He also greeted the children's parents.
His company grew and was renamed "Nakamura Manufacturing Co., Limited." in 1959. He made a deal with the Mitsukoshi department store chain. He installed a popular ride called "Roadaway Race" on their rooftop. This led to more rides for all their stores. Nakamura's company kept designing fun mechanical games. One of these was Periscope in 1965.
Entering the Video Game World
By the early 1970s, Nakamura's company started making coin-operated arcade games. Many of these were racing games. In 1974, Nakamura bought the Japanese part of Atari. Atari was a big American video game company. Nakamura saw this as a great chance to get into the video game market. This deal allowed his company to release Atari's games in Japan.
In 1977, his company was renamed "Namco." This name came from their older name. A year later, Namco released its very first video game made in-house. Under Nakamura's leadership, Namco became a very important video game company.
Namco's Big Successes
Creating Arcade Hits
Nakamura was very interested in making Namco's own arcade games. He bought many microcomputers. He told his team to study them and create new games. Namco's first in-house game was Gee Bee in 1978. It was designed by Toru Iwatani.
Namco's first huge success in arcades was Galaxian in 1979. This game was one of the first to use special colors called RGB. Its success led to Namco releasing their games in the United States.
The Birth of Pac-Man
Pac-Man (1980) became Namco's biggest hit. It sold over 400,000 arcade machines in the United States alone. It became one of the highest-earning video games ever. Toru Iwatani also designed Pac-Man. Nakamura suggested the game's name. He thought it should be named after the "paku paku" sound the character made while eating.
Nakamura said in 1983 that he "never thought it would be this big." He personally tested Namco's games before they were released. Sometimes he would play them for up to 23 hours! He was one of the first to notice how much young people loved playing Pac-Man. Because of his ideas, Nakamura is often called "the father of Pac-Man." He is seen as a key person behind Japan's video game industry.
More Popular Games
Under Nakamura, Namco made many other successful games in the 1980s. These included Galaga (1981), Ms. Pac-Man (1982), Dig Dug (1982), Pole Position (1982), Xevious (1983), and The Tower of Druaga (1984).
Nakamura also pushed Namco to be one of the first companies to make games for Nintendo's Family Computer. This console was becoming very popular.
Later Years and Legacy
New Ventures and Leadership Changes
Nakamura became the chairman of the Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association (JAMMA). He led Namco to build and manage large amusement parks across Japan. These included Wonder Eggs in Tokyo and Namja Town.
In the 1990s, Namco created more famous game series. These included Ridge Racer (1993) and Tekken (1994). In 1993, Namco bought the Japanese film studio Nikkatsu. Nakamura became involved in making films. He was listed as an executive producer for many of them.
In 1997, the Japanese government recognized him for his work in computer entertainment. Nakamura also helped Tetsuya Takahashi start the game developer Monolith Soft in 1999. Namco published their Xenosaga game series.
In 2002, Nakamura stepped down as the main boss of Namco. He took on an honorary role in the company.
Merging with Bandai and Final Years
In 2005, Namco joined with Bandai to form Bandai Namco Holdings. This new company became one of the largest video game developers in Japan. Nakamura kept an honorary position in their video game division, Namco Bandai Games (now Bandai Namco Entertainment).
In 2007, the Japanese government gave him the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette" award. This was for his important work in the Japanese entertainment industry. In 2010, he was added to the International Video Game Hall of Fame. This honored him as one of the first video game pioneers. He was inducted along with Pac-Man for its 30th anniversary.
Masaya Nakamura passed away on January 22, 2017, at the age of 91. Bandai Namco Holdings announced his death a week later. They asked for privacy for his family.
Images for kids
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Masaya Nakamura's signature
See also
In Spanish: Masaya Nakamura para niños
