Did reggie the ceo of nintendo retire

Reggie Fils-Aimé is retiring after more than a decade spent as president of Nintendo of America. His career spanned many console generations, starting with the troubled GameCube and ending with the fabulously successful Switch. Reggie will be succeeded by Doug Bowser, who has worked under him for the last four years.

In a statement provided by Nintendo, Reggie (who frequently went by his first name in familiar fashion) offered the following farewell:

Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever. 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.

In addition, he posted a video farewell on Twitter:

Reggie has been one of Nintendo’s most public and recognizable faces ever since the early days of his ascendancy, which coincidentally was when I began covering E3 regularly for work. I had the privilege of meeting him numerous times for interviews and Q&As, as well as just bumping into him at this or that event.

His indefatigably on-message manner, as if he had a prepared remark for every possible question, was impossible to be frustrated with because of his undeniable charisma and passion for the games and devices he was promoting. It may have been hard to tell where Reggie ended and Nintendo PR began (perhaps now we’ll never know), but he was never anything less than helpful and engaging in my experience.

When he took over Nintendo of America, the company as a whole was recovering from a down period marked by a console (the GameCube) that had not kept pace with the competition and a handheld that, while popular, was flagging and clearly old-fashioned.

As most will remember, however, the company soon turned all that around with the DS and Wii, two of the best-selling consoles of all time and ones that returned Nintendo to its household name status, as well as vastly expanding the “gamer” demographic. Of course, the Wii U was a disappointment (though home to many great games), but since then the Switch has restored confidence in the company’s ability to innovate and deliver. With some 20 million sold since launch, Reggie is leaving on a high note.

Reggie’s involvement from the outside seemed to be to pretend these things didn’t exist until 30 seconds before going onstage to announce them, after which he would tirelessly promote them to every outlet and fan that managed to make eye contact with him. He was accessible, friendly and if not candid he was certainly honest and earnest at all times. He’ll certainly be missed by many, myself included.

Doug Bowser will take over as president on April 15, Reggie’s official last day. Bowser joined in 2015 and led the sales and marketing for the Switch, so you know he’s got momentum — plus, you know, the name.

I’ve asked Nintendo for any further information on Reggie’s departure, such as whether he’ll still be involved with the company at all, and will update this post if I hear back.

So long, Reggie, and best of luck on the next level!

President of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime will be stepping down from his post at the gaming juggernaut on April 15. Fils-Aime’s successor as the head of Nintendo’s U.S. division will be none other than Doug Bowser (not that Bowser), who is moving up from his previous role as senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Fils-Aime joined Nintendo of America in 2003 as executive vice president of sales and marketing and has served as the president and COO of the company since 2006. Known both for his energetic personality and business acumen, Fils-Aime became one of Nintendo’s most recognizable faces through appearances at gaming conferences such as E3.

His tenure at the company’s helm overlapped with the release of Nintendo’s extremely successful Wii, 3DS, and Switch consoles (as well as the Wii U, but let’s not talk about that). Fils-Aime, whose pre-Nintendo executive resume includes properties ranging from Pizza Hut to Guinness to VH1, is retiring to spend more time with family.

“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” Fils-Aime said in a statement. “As I look forward to departing in both good health and good humor, this is not ‘game over’ for me, but instead ‘leveling up.’”

Bowser has spent the last three decades kidnapping princesses and acting as Commander in Chief to a koopa and goomba military… wait, scratch that. Bowser arrived at Nintendo of America in 2015 as vice president of sales and quickly moved up to lead the marketing campaign for the Switch, which sold faster than any other console this generation. Prior to his work at Nintendo, Bowser held positions at Electronic Arts and Procter & Gamble.

Bowser, who counts Fils-Aime as a personal mentor, pledges to maintain Nintendo of America’s current momentum when he takes the lead later this year. “Rest assured, we will continue to build on his work to evolve and expand our brand, furthering Nintendo’s global mission of creating smiles,” Bowser said. “There are millions more of those to come.”

Reggie Fils-Aime’s body is no longer ready. The longtime president of Nintendo of America is stepping down on April 15, to be replaced by marketing man Doug Bowser, Nintendo said in a press release today.

Fils-Aime, who was with Nintendo for 15 years, became an instant gamer celebrity when he took the company’s stage at E3 2004 and declared, “My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games.” He was one of the iconic publisher’s most public personalities, frequently representing Nintendo at events and in live presentations and injecting charisma into a company that could otherwise at times feel robotic. Alongside legendary Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and the late president Satoru Iwata, Fils-Aime was one of Nintendo’s main public faces for over a decade.

Here are the requisite press release quotes:

“I really appreciate everything Reggie has done for Nintendo,” said Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo Co., Ltd. “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.”

“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” Fils-Aime said. “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.”

And:

“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.”

Insert your favorite Bowser joke here.

Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime will retire after almost 13 years at the helm.

Doug Bowser will succeed Fils-Aime as president on April 15, the video-game maker said Thursday in a statement. Bowser currently oversees sales and marketing at Nintendo, which includes efforts to promote the Switch console. The Switch has been met with weak demand as the Kyoto-based company struggles to expand the system beyond a core user base.

“Inside and outside our company, Reggie is known as an exceptional leader,” Nintendo Co. President Shuntaro Furukawa said in the statement. “We are also pleased to have such an able successor ready to step into that role.”

Bowser joined Nintendo in 2015 after working at Electronic Arts Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co. And he has another, perhaps more unique qualification, to lead the company: Bowser happens to be the name of the spiked yellow antagonist in Nintendo’s hit “Mario” gaming franchise.

New York-traded shares of Nintendo Co. climbed as much as 6.2 percent in New York.

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Reggie Fils-Aime, the charismatic president of Nintendo of America, is retiring. Nintendo announced Thursday that Fils-Aime will step down on April 15. Doug Bowser, currently the head of sales and marketing at Nintendo of America — and yes, that’s his real name — will replace Fils-Aime as president.

“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.”

“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.”

On Twitter, Fils-Aime posted a video message to fans, thanking them for their “never-ending support and ... passionate love for Nintendo.” That video also serves as something of a highlight reel for the many memes and goofs that Nintendo fans built around Reggie’s persona.

Fils-Aime joined Nintendo in 2003 as executive vice president of sales and marketing. Nintendo named him president and chief operating officer in 2006. Fils-Aime’s introduction to the broader gaming community came in 2004, when he appeared onstage at Nintendo’s annual E3 press conference and greeted the crowd saying, “My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass. I’m about takin’ names. And we’re about making games.”

As president of Nintendo, Fils-Aime oversaw the launch and success of the company’s wildly popular Wii and Nintendo 3DS platforms, as well as the less successful Wii U, and Nintendo’s current platform, the Switch.

Doug Bowser joined Nintendo in 2015 as vice president of sales. He previously worked at Electronic Arts and Procter & Gamble.