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Doug Bowser To Step In As Nintendo of America’s New President As Reggie Fils-Aimé Retires

All journeys come to an end, and after 15 years at Nintendo of America, longtime president Reggie Fils-Aimé has expressed his intention to retire.

Officially stepping down on April 15, 2019, he will be succeeded by marketing man Doug Bowser (yes, you read that right), who certainly has big shoes to fill. As one of Nintendo’s main public faces, the former is considered to be on equal publicity standing as famed Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and the late president Satoru Iwata, often taking to the stage to deliver energetic live presentations.

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One of his more memorable career highlights was during E3 2004, where he made the following iconic declaration, “My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games.” Then the executive vice president of sales and marketing, he was promoted to COO and president two years later, and has led the company since. It’s been more than a decade-long ride, and as Fils-Aimé’s chapter comes to a close, he expresses his gratitude to the team:

“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.”

Fils-Aimé isn’t only the gamer celebrity here, however. As news about his successor broke out, the internet immediately latched onto the shared ‘Bowser’ name, spawning plenty of jokes comparing the next-in-line and Mario’s arch-nemesis. It’s all pretty entertaining, really.

The best comment is probably Kotaku’s Jason Schreier’s witty dig at Activision:

Fortunately, Bowser himself is a good sport about it, often poking fun at his name, and taking on the title of “The Real Bowser” online. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s not taking his job seriously, and instead shows firm resolve in achieving even loftier goals with his team:

“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.”

Happy retirement, Fils-Aimé!