Ask Iwata, a book containing words of wisdom from former Nintendo CEO and president, Satoru Iwata, will be released in English for the first time in April this year.
The tome has been available in Japan since 2019, but has now been translated for English-speakers who want to pore over some of the insightful interviews conducted by the beloved industry figure, who passed away in July 2015.
According to publisher Viz Media, Ask Iwata touches on a range of topics including "locating bottlenecks, how success breeds resistance to change, and why programmers should never say no" -- all of which are pulled from the 'Iwata Asks' series of interviews, a selection of which are still available to read on the Nintendo website.
The book also contains memories shared by former colleagues including Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who heaped praise on his friend in a translated except published two years ago.
“Normally, if someone younger than yourself with fewer years of experience becomes president, it might be difficult to get along with each other, but it was never like that. It had always been obvious that he was more suited for the position (than me), so it never became a problem. I think it allowed us to naturally become true friends," recalled Miyamoto.
"He left many words and structures that live on in the work of our younger employees today. The only problem is that, if there is some good-for-nothing idea I come up with over the weekend, I have no one to share it with the next Monday. That I can no longer hear him say ‘Oh, about that thing…’ is a bit of a problem for me. It makes me sad."
Ask Iwata will arrive in the United States on April 13, 2021, before heading to the UK two days later on April 15, 2021.