There are certain individuals in this world who can actually live up to the title of being “legendary.” One such individual is Masayuki Uemura, who is the lead architect of the NES and SNES. His contributions to the video game industry will forever be remembered and sadly, he has passed away at the age of 78.

Uemura joined Nintendo back in 1972 where he headed the R&D2 department, who eventually worked on the Famicom (NES in the West) under the orders of Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi. The department would go on to produce both the NES and SNES, some of the most influential consoles in history, which paved the way for the console gaming scene as we know it today.

Masayuki Uemura would eventually retire from Nintendo in 2004 and shortly became a professor at the Ritsumeikan University located in Kyoto.

The news of Uemura’s passing would be mourned by personalities in the industry, including Masahiro Sakurai, who says that the console that most influenced him was the NES.

Rest in peace, Masayuki Uemura.