Nakamura's company, Namco, introduced "Pac-Man" in 1980, as the video game industry was in its infancy. The game became an instant hit with arcade players, who enjoyed racking up points by moving a chomping, circular Pac-Man around a board with an insatiable appetite to eat gold balls and elude ghosts.

Masaya Nakamura, the "Father of'Pac-Man'" who founded the Japanese video game company behind the hit creature-gobbling game, has died. Nakamura, who died on Jan. 22, founded Namco, part of Bandai Namco, in 1955. It started out as just two mechanical horse rides on a department store rooftop but went on to pioneer game arcades and amusement parks. Bandai Namco, formed in 2005 from a merger of two game companies, confirmed Monday that Nakamura had died. "Pac-Man," designed by Namco engineer and video game maker Toru Iwatani, went on sale in 1980, at a time when there were few rival games, such as "Space Invaders."

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.

Masaya Nakamura, the founder of game developer and distributor Namco Ltd. and known as "the father of Pac-Man," died Jan. 22, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. announced Monday via a corporate website. The cause of death was not announced. After graduating in 1948 from Yokohama Kogyo Senmon Gakko (now Yokohama National University), he founded Nakamura Seisakusho in 1955, which was renamed Namco in 1977. The company developed numerous hit video games, including "Galaxian," "Pac-Man" and "Ridge Racer," that could be played on home consoles or in entertainment facilities such as game centers. Namco merged with Bandai Co. in 2005 to form Bandai Namco Group, and its game production assets were branched into Bandai Namco Games Inc. in 2006, which is now known as Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. Nakamura was a chairman and a supreme adviser of Bandai Namco Entertainment since 2006.

Masaya Nakamura, who founded Namco, the Japanese company that created the game Pac-Man, died on Jan. 22 at the age of 91. The announcement came Sunday, a week after his death. Nakamura's wake and funeral were attended only by close relatives as part of a request by the Bandai Namco Entertainment head, the statement from the company read, adding that the news of his death was withheld until after the services. The cause of his death or other personal details were not revealed citing his family's wishes. A "Farewell Gathering" for Nakamura is reportedly planned for a later date.