Gunpei Yokoi
After "Super Metroid"s release, there would not be another sequel for eight years, as none of the games in the "Metroid" series up to this point had enjoyed the level of success that the "Mario" and "The Legend of Zelda" franchises had. "Metroid" series producer Gunpei Yokoi left Nintendo in August 1996, amid the failure of the Virtual Boy, and later died in a car accident in October 1997.