Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime retires, Bowser taking over

Reggie Fils-Aime is stepping down from his post as president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America after 13 years in those roles and over 15 years with the company as a whole.

Doug Bowser, the company’s current SVP of sales and marketing, has been tapped to take over for Fils-Aime as the president of Nintendo of America following his official retirement on April 15. 

“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” said Fils-Aime in a statement. “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 got his start with Nintendo of America back in 2003, in the very same role that Bowser now vacates to take on the position of president. After just three years with the company he then stepped into the role of president and COO, a position he held through the lifetimes of several Nintendo systems like the DS, Wii, 3DS, and, most recently, the Nintendo Switch.

A press release from the company specifically calls out “strong and affable personality,” a trait that endeared him with both the industry and Nintendo’s fanbase.

Bowser, meanwhile, started with the company in mid-2015 as the VP of sales and, a year later, the SVP of sales and marketing. He notably led the company’s marketing efforts for the Nintendo Switch in the West, a system that has sold over 32 million units since its early 2017 release.