Shigeru Miyamoto (L), Satoru Iwata (M), Reggie Fils-Aime (R) | Credits: Nintendo
In a jaw-dropping announcement, Reggie Fils-Aime and Nintendo have confirmed that he is indeed retiring after his tenure of thirteen years as Nintendo of America’s president. Here’s his heartfelt farewell to us all.
Taking to Twitter earlier today, Nintendo and Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that the charismatic and beloved president of Nintendo of America will be retiring on April 15, 2019, after thirteen years as Nintendo of America’s president. During his tenure, Reggie oversaw the launch of some of Nintendo’s most popular gaming devices ranging from the critically-acclaimed Wii to the less-than-triumphant moments with the Nintendo Wii U.
Closing out his time with the company, Fils-Aime will be stepping down while Nintendo continues to see their Nintendo Switch as a highly appreciated and accepted gaming platform. Replacing Fils-Aime will be Nintendo’s current head of sales and marketing at Nintendo America, Doug Bowser – yes, that’s his real name, and we absolutely love it. We just hope he wears a turtle backpack during his Nintendo Direct events.
“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” Fils-Aime said in a news 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.”
Doug Bowser | Credits: Doug Bowser/Nintendo
In the official press statement, Bowser opens up about his appreciation for Fils-Aime, “it has been my great fortune to work with and be mentored by Reggie for four years at Nintendo of America, 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.”
While having taken the role as executive vice president of sales and marketing in 2003, Fils-Aime moved up the later rather quickly, being appointed as the president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of Amerca in 2006. During his first appearance at E3 2004, Fils-Aime made himself known when he first greeted the crowd with a wild and unexpected opening statement, “My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass. I’m about takin’ names. And we’re about making games.”
Truly a moment that none of us will ever forget. Many hold the sentiment that he’s Nintendo of America’s Satoru Iwata who unfortunately passed away after a long and arduous battle against cancer in 2015. Carrying on many of Iwata’s traditions, Fils-Aime gained the love and adoration of fans in North America and leaves us on a high note; knowing that his mentorship of Doug Bowser will no doubt show in the upcoming years.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.