The announcement comes directly from Fils-Aime as he delivers an emotional goodbye to Nintendo fans.
Nintendo of America President Fils-Aime took to Twitter to announce his departure from Nintendo to “spend more time with my wife, my family, and my friends.”
Nintendo fans, Reggie has a message for all of you. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/EAhaEl5oEJ
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 21, 2019
“By now you may have heard the news: yep, I’m retiring,” says Fils-Aime. “I wanted to reach out directly to you, the Nintendo family, because there’s one thing I wanted to say: thank you.”
He continues, “From the first time I saw the nickname ‘Regginator,’ I realized that Nintendo fans share a unique sense of community, a bond that goes just beyond the love of video games.”
Fils-Aime will be passing on the role of Nintendo of America President to Doug Bowser. Bowser currently resides as the Head of Sales and Marketing at NoA. Bowser has held the role since 2015, and has worked at Nintendo since 2014.
“Doug is a passionate and powerful leader, and a guy who in his youth, probably spent too much time in front of a Donkey Kong arcade machine,” reassures Fils-Aime. “Inside Nintendo, people already know him as a driving force, and you’ll come to see that too. And I ask you: with a name like Bowser, who better to hold the keys to the Nintendo castle?”
Tatsumi Kimishima, who was also once the Nintendo of America President, still resides as the overall President of the company. Kimishima succeeded Satoru Iwata after Iwata’s passing in 2015.
Fil-Aime remained as optimistic as ever in his farewell announcement, remembering fondly back on his “my body is ready” moment at the E3 2007 presentation showcasing the Wii Fit game.
Fil-Aime has served as the Nintendo of America President since 2006, and was the first American to hold the position.