Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who has long been one of the main faces of the company, announced that he will be stepping down as of April 15. His replacement will be Doug Bowser, the company’s current senior vice president of sales and marketing.
“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” said Fils-Aime in a press release. “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.”
Fils-Aime has served for almost 13 years as Nintendo of America’s president and COO. In that time, he has become one of the biggest personalities in gaming alongside Shigeru Miyamoto and the late president Satoru Iwata. Together, they helped Nintendo to grow as much as the consoles and games did.
His replacement joined Nintendo of America in 2015. Bowser was also responsible for leading sales and marketing efforts for the Nintendo Switch.
“It has been my great fortune to work with and be mentored by Reggie for four years at Nintendo of America,” Bowser said in a statement. “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.”
As a parting statement, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said:
“I really appreciate everything Reggie has done for Nintendo. Inside and outside our company, Reggie is known as an exceptional leader. We are grateful that he is leaving the business in good shape with strong momentum. While we will miss him and we wish him the very best in his retirement, we are also pleased to have such an able successor ready to step into that role. Doug Bowser and the rest of the team will ensure a seamless transition and continued momentum for Nintendo.”
