Nintendo’s global Chief Executive Satoru Iwata has died at the age of 55, after battling cancer for more than a year.

The death of the hands-on CEO and President came at a critical time for the Japanese video game maker – which has suffered years of declining sales.

A smartphone tie-up with online game maker DeNA was announced in March – as stiff competition from console rivals and mobile games continued to drag on Nintendo’s sales.

Iwata was described as “a visionary in every sense of the word” by Nintendo regional president Satoru Shibata.