Masaya Nakamura, Father of Pac-Man, Dies at 91

Masaya Nakamura, who pioneered game arcades and founded the video game company behind the smash-hit Pac-Man, has died at 91. Nakamura founded gaming company Namco -- part of what today is known as Bandai Namco -- in 1955. His Jan. 22 death was confirmed a week later on Bandai Namco's website on Monday. After starting with two mechanical horse rides on a rooftop, Namco went on to pioneer amusement parks and game arcades, the Associated Press reports. The company released the coin-operated game Pac-Man, designed by Namco engineer Toru Iwatani, in 1980. The game expanded into consoles before being merchandised into a television series, a film and various theme parks.