Editing Satoru Iwata (section)

==HAL Laboratory==
While attending university, Iwata worked for [[HAL Laboratory]] as a part-time programmer in 1980.<ref name="Eurogamer" /><ref name="IGNprofile" /> Among their first creations was a peripheral device that enabled older computers to display graphics for video games. With this device, Iwata and members of HAL created multiple games that were "straight [[Ripoff|rip-offs]] of [[Namco]]'s ''[[Rally-X]]'', ''[[Galaxian]]'', and others".<ref name="1999Interview" /> HAL became the first company to establish a license with Namco for developing games.<ref name="1999Interview">{{Cite interview |last=Iwata |first=Satoru |title=Satoru Iwata – 1999 Developer Interview |url=http://shmuplations.com/iwata/ |access-date=July 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914133304/http://shmuplations.com/iwata/ |archive-date=September 14, 2019 |url-status=live |work=Used Games |year=1999}}</ref> He joined the company in a full-time capacity after graduating in 1982, becoming its fifth employee and only programmer.<ref name="Eurogamer" /><ref name="RG-35" />{{sfn|Inoue|2009|p=58}}<ref name="IGNprofile">{{Cite web |last=Burns |first=James |date=July 16, 2004 |title=Profile: Satoru Iwata |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/07/16/profile-satoru-iwata |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205241/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/07/16/profile-satoru-iwata |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |access-date=July 19, 2015 |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |page=1}}</ref> Around the same time, Iwata's father was elected mayor of [[Muroran]].{{sfn|Inoue|2009|p=58}} Despite his passion, Iwata's family did not approve of his career choice, and his father did not talk with him for six months after Iwata joined HAL.<ref name="IGNprofile" />

Iwata became the company's coordinator of software production in 1983, the time during which he helped HAL create a relationship with Nintendo so they would be able to produce games for its newly released Nintendo Entertainment System. He traveled to [[Kyoto]] himself to request permission to work on games for the NES, to which Nintendo obliged.{{sfn|Inoue|2009|p=58}} His first commercially published game was ''[[Joust (video game)|Joust]]'' for the NES—a [[Porting|port]] of the 1982&nbsp;[[arcade game]].<ref name="Gamasutra" /> Other video games he worked on were ''[[Balloon Fight]]'', ''[[NES Open Tournament Golf]]'', ''[[EarthBound]]'', and the ''[[Kirby (series)|Kirby]]'' games.<ref name="Guardian0713" /><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Nakago |first=Toshihiko |title=New Super Mario Bros.: Volume 2 |last2=Tezuka |first2=Takashi |url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/nsmb/1/0 |access-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513072726/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/nsmb/1/0 |archive-date=May 13, 2018 |url-status=live |publisher=Nintendo |date=November 13, 2009 |pages=1, 8 |interviewer-first=Satoru |interviewer-last=Iwata |series=Iwata Asks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Iwata |first=Satoru |interviewer=Yasuhiro Nagata |title=Special Edition Interview: Turning the Tables: Asking Iwata |url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/special_edition_interview/0/0 |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513072726/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/special_edition_interview/0/0 |archive-date=May 13, 2018 |url-status=live |publisher=Nintendo |date=October 5, 2006 |series=Iwata Asks}}</ref> Nintendo initially contacted several other developers to produce ''Open Tournament Golf''; however, all of them declined as they did not believe the large amount of data could be stored within an NES cartridge. Iwata seized this opportunity and "recklessly" stepped up to develop the game. It proved particularly taxing as Iwata had to create his own [[data compression]] method in order to fit all 18&nbsp;courses into the game. Similarly, HAL had to program [[parallax scrolling]] for ''[[F-1 Race]]'' as the NES hardware did not initially support it.<ref name="1999Interview" />

Iwata's proficiency with programming quickly placed him in high esteem among fellow programmers and gamers alike. He would often continue to work on weekends and holidays because of his passion.{{sfn|Hasegawa|2010|pp=45–46}} With the company on the verge of bankruptcy, Iwata was promoted to president of HAL in 1993 at the insistence of Nintendo's then-President, [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]].<ref name="Eurogamer" /> With assistance from Nintendo, Iwata helped turn the company around from its ¥1.5&nbsp;billion debt and stabilize its finances within six years.<ref name="la times" /><ref name="Guardian0713" /><ref name="RG-35" />{{sfn|Inoue|2009|p=61}} Lacking experience in management, Iwata put a lot of effort into learning how to better himself, often reading books on the topic and seeking advice from others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nakamura |first=Toshi |date=July 22, 2015 |title=''Smash Bros.'' Creator Remembers Satoru Iwata |url=http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-remembers-satoru-iwata-1719451777 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20151116000236/http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-remembers-satoru-iwata-1719451777 |archive-date=November 16, 2015 |access-date=July 26, 2015 |website=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]]}}</ref>

Although he was not part of Nintendo at the time, Iwata assisted in the development of [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'']], which were released for the [[Game Boy Color]] in November 1999, by creating a set of compression tools utilized for graphics in the games.<ref name="IA-HG3">{{Cite interview |last=Morimoto |first=Shigeki |title=Pokémon HeartGold Version & SoulSilver Version |last2=Ishihara |first2=Tsunekazu |url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/pokemon/0/2 |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513072726/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/pokemon/0/2 |archive-date=May 13, 2018 |url-status=live |publisher=Nintendo |date=September 4, 2009 |page=Just Being President Was A Waste! |subject-link1=Shigeki Morimoto |interviewer-first=Satoru |interviewer-last=Iwata |series=Iwata Asks}}</ref> While working as a go-between for [[Game Freak]] and Nintendo, he aided in the programming of ''[[Pokémon Stadium]]'' for the [[Nintendo 64]] by reading the original coding in [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'']] and [[porting]] the battle system into the new game in just one week.<ref name="Eurogamer" /><ref name="IA-HG3" /> According to [[Tsunekazu Ishihara]], the president of [[The Pokémon Company]], Iwata was instrumental in bringing ''Pokémon'' to Western markets. While being president of HAL, he developed the plan for [[Video game localization|localization]] after reviewing the code for ''Red'' and ''Green'', which was then completed by Teruki Murakawa, with Western releases coming two years after their Japanese release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wawro |first=Alex |date=December 30, 2015 |title=Pokemon chief: Iwata was the one who brought Pokemon to the West |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/262899/Pokemon_chief_Iwata_was_the_one_who_brought_Pokemon_to_the_West.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101054829/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/262899/Pokemon_chief_Iwata_was_the_one_who_brought_Pokemon_to_the_West.php |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |access-date=December 30, 2015 |website=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref> Additionally, he assisted [[Masahiro Sakurai]] in the development of ''[[Super Smash Bros. (video game)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' for the Nintendo 64.<ref name="Eurogamer" />