During the earlier years of his presidency at Nintendo, Iwata would often forego media appearances, unless new hardware was being announced, in order to spend more time programming.
Pada masa-masa awal kepresidenannya di Nintendo, Iwata sering menghindari kegiatan tampil di depan media, kurang sering mengumumkan perangkat keras baru, dalam rangka menjalani waktu dengan melakukan pemprograman.