- Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime will retire on April 15th, ending his 15-year tenure at the Japanese video game giant.
- He will be succeeded by Doug Bowser, the company's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
- During his tenure, Nintendo fans grew to appreciate the humor and excitement Fils-Aime brought to Nintendo's presentations.
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime will retire on April 15th, ending his 15-year tenure with the video game giant. He will be succeeded by Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America's current Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
During his time as president, Nintendo fans came to appreciate Fils-Aime as a familiar face in their annual press events, where he delivered news on upcoming games with a refreshing mix of humor and excitement. "My body is ready," a line he said on-stage at a Nintendo event, become an affectionate meme among fans.
Fils-Aime started at Nintendo of America in 2003 as its Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing and became its President and COO in May 2006. He oversaw the launch of five major Nintendo consoles: the DS, the Wii, the 3DS, the Wii U and most recently, the Nintendo Switch.
“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” Fils-Aime said in a press release on Thursday afternoon. “It’s a part that is filled with gratitude – for the incredibly talented people I’ve worked with, for the opportunity to represent such a wonderful brand, and most of all, to feel like a member of the world’s most positive and enduring gamer community. As I look forward to departing in both good health and good humor, this is not ‘game over’ for me, but instead ‘leveling up’ to more time with my wife, family and friends.”
Nintendo of America's new president, Doug Bowser, joined the company in May 2015 as the Vice President of Sales. Nintendo credits Bowser with helping the Nintendo Switch become the fastest-selling console of the current generation, which includes Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.
“It has been my great fortune to work with and be mentored by Reggie for four years at Nintendo of America,” Bowser said. “And rest assured, we will continue to build on his work to evolve and expand our brand, furthering Nintendo’s global mission of creating smiles. There are millions more of those to come.”
After the announcement was made, Fils-Aime took to Twitter with a heartfelt message for fans, thanking them for a "Mushroom Kingdom" of memories, and their support.
—Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 21, 2019
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