In a surprise announcement yesterday, Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aimé announced his retirement. As of April 15, 2019 he will be handing the duties of NOA president to current Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Doug Bowser. The joke is lost on no one.
Bowser’s role of Senior VP of Sales and Marketing was the first role Fils-Aimé assumed at NOA, way back in 2003, before being promoted to President and COO in early 2006. Before that, Reggie enjoyed a successful career managing other well-known brands, having launched the Bigfoot and Big New Yorker pizzas at Pizza Hut in the 90s, and revitalizing cable network VH1 in the early 2000s.
Fils-Aimé had a 16 year tenure at Nintendo, gaining fame among the loyal fanbase at E3 2004 with the quote, “My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games.”
He leaves Nintendo on a high note, with the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch in the North American market. In the announcement video (linked below), he stated that he is retiring to spend more time with his family. Fils-Aimé is 57 years old.
Allen Christian
