Nintendo of America Promotes Three Executives

May 25, 2006, 1:20 pm EDT
Total comments: 44

It's time to kick ass and take names... as President.

NINTENDO OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE PROMOTIONS

Kimishima Promoted to Chairman and CEO; Fils-Aime Promoted to President and COO

REDMOND, Wash., May 25, 2006 - On the heels of the successful unveiling of the new Wii(tm) console, Nintendo of America Inc. today announced three key promotions at the executive level. Current President Tatsumi Kimishima is taking on the new role of chairman of the board and chief executive officer, while Reggie Fils-Aime is being promoted to president and chief operating officer from his current role as executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. Additionally, Mike Fukuda is being promoted from senior vice president of Business Development to executive vice president of Business Development. All promotions are effective immediately.

"Around the world, Nintendo DS has been steadily drawing more people into the video game category," said Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. "With the upcoming introduction of Wii, along with the strength of this new leadership team and strong executives already in place, Nintendo will continue to dramatically change the way consumers of all ages interact with their video game console on a daily basis."

Kimishima was appointed president of Nintendo of America in January 2002. He joined Nintendo at the company's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, in 2000. He served as chief financial officer of The Pokémon Company in 2000 and president of Pokémon USA Inc. in 2001. Prior to joining Nintendo, he spent 27 years with Sanwa Bank of Japan, serving in various management positions. As chairman of the board and CEO of Nintendo of America, he will oversee the overall management of Nintendo of America and continue to serve on the boards of Nintendo of America and Nintendo Co., Ltd.

In his new role as president and chief operating officer, Fils-Aime will lead the day-to-day operations of Nintendo of America while continuing to oversee the Sales & Marketing Division as the company prepares for the launch of Wii. He joined Nintendo of America in December 2003 to lead all Sales & Marketing efforts in the United States, Latin America and Canada. Prior to joining Nintendo, he served as senior vice president of marketing at VH1. He also has held key marketing positions with Guinness Import Co., Derby Cycle Corp., Pizza Hut, Panda Management Co. and Procter & Gamble.

In his new position as executive vice president of Business Development, Fukuda will oversee corporate strategic planning and third-party publisher and licensing programs. He also will continue to oversee product development more dedicated to the North American market. He has been with the company for 12 years, joining in 1994 as director of planning. Prior to Nintendo, he worked for an international trading company and learned the video game business in the United States, working with third-party publishers during the early days of the Nintendo Entertainment System® (NES).

Talkback

Karl Castaneda #2May 25, 2006

I support Fils-Aime as President of NOA.

Three cheers!

ShyGuyMay 25, 2006

Reggie, Reggie, Reggie!

Ian SaneMay 25, 2006

So what does President of NOA actually mean? Like what part of his job is different than before?

Bill AurionMay 25, 2006

Congrats, Reggie, you certainly deserve it! =D

thejeekMay 25, 2006

Does he get more ass kicking and name taking responsibilities now? Or will he have underlings to do it for him?

steveyMay 25, 2006

is God and President now!

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorMay 25, 2006

So this means there's some kind of openings, somewhere, right?

Reggie, will you hire me? I'll lick the blood off your boots so they'll be shiney and clean for all your important meetings.

cirej2000May 25, 2006

He's now overseeing all of the operations of the Nintendo America organization. He'll be doing less on the defining marketing and sales promotions on an individual basis and he'll be doing more strategic thinking like for after the current generation and beyond.

That's my guess

thejeekMay 25, 2006

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strategic thinking

I think I'd like that. Can you do it in bed?

Avinash_TyagiMay 25, 2006

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Originally posted by: thejeek
Does he get more ass kicking and name taking responsibilities now? Or will he have underlings to do it for him?

More ass kicking, less name taking (the man should concentrate on what he's best at)

thejeekMay 25, 2006

I dunno - isn't the name taking an integral part of the excercise? Still, you gotta play to your strengths!

King of TwitchMay 25, 2006

Will he still have time to make the flowers grow and bring the sun up every morning?

ShyGuyMay 25, 2006

He should go hire Peter Moore to fill his vacated post, just to tick off Bill Gates.

CrimmJames Jones, Associate EditorMay 25, 2006

I think now that he is President of NOA his plate is more full. The end result is he delegate some of the ass-kicking to subordinates.

thejeekMay 25, 2006

I'm concerned now, when the ass kicking finally seems to be producing some results, that it would be dangerous to jepordise everything by entrusting it to unproven people. I think if Reggie needs to delegate, it should be the name taking as Avinash_Tyagi suggested and the ass kicking should remain firmly within his remit.

ThePermMay 25, 2006

the pokémon company guy did nothing for Nintendo of America. Maybe Reggie with his kick-assed ness will revitalise the western half of Nintendo in much the way Howard Lincoln and Arakawa were badassed tigers pouncing on bitches

nickmitchMay 25, 2006

Does he get somekind of secretary to help with the name taking now that he'll be doing at least 75% more ass kicking?

NinGurl69 *hugglesMay 25, 2006

Executive ass kicking FROM THE TOP.

WATCH OUT, NORTH AMERICA.

ruby_onixMay 25, 2006

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
So what does President of NOA actually mean? Like what part of his job is different than before?

As VP of Marketing, Reggie's job was to look cool and sell us on whatever came down from Iwata (because the middle link in the chain, Tatsumi Kimishima, didn't appear to have any voice of his own, and seemingly got promoted for it). The only power he had was that he was able to say "C'mon, you're breaking my balls man" whenever they ordered him to do anything he didn't want to do (like pretending that Iwata powns Reggie at videogames in an attempt to make Iwata look cool, or introducing the Wii name, or having lunch with nerdly fanboys in McDonalds), which is apparently more power than Nintendo ever gave anyone else in his position.

As President of NOA, Reggie actually sets the policy in this part of the world. Change the system's name back to Revolution? Done. Black console available at launch instead of purple or white? Done. Cancel the GBA to put all focus on the DS? Done. Cancel the DS to put all focus on the GBA? Done. Price cuts all around? Done. Ban Sega from the Virtual Console? Done. Shut down Nintendo power? Done. Put demo discs in Nintendo Power? Done. Put thirteen years worth of unused official Zelda manga into Nintendo Power? Done.

As President of NOA, Reggie can literally do whatever he wants, as long as he thinks it's in the best interests of NOA, and as long as the shareholders (who are primarily NCL, and may have conflicting interests) don't disagree.

Quote
Originally posted by: UncleBob
So this means there's some kind of openings, somewhere, right?

Reggie, will you hire me? I'll lick the blood off your boots so they'll be shiney and clean for all your important meetings.

You do know that that's ass-blood, right?

Ian SaneMay 25, 2006

"As President of NOA, Reggie can literally do whatever he wants, as long as he thinks it's in the best interests of NOA, and as long as the shareholders (who are primarily NCL, and may have conflicting interests) don't disagree."

So in other words he doesn't really have any power at all.

Considering that NOA's biggest problem over the last few years is an utter inability to market a product worth a damn having someone with Reggie's marketing experience should hopefully be beneficial.

EasyCureMay 25, 2006

i found this part interesting

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Prior to joining Nintendo, he served as senior vice president of marketing at VH1.

why was there never an "I <3 Nintendo" special??? i want to hear michael ian blacks take on the NES, andrew wk on the SNES and some other random celebrity talk about all things nintendo, dammit!

ruby_onixMay 25, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
"As President of NOA, Reggie can literally do whatever he wants, as long as he thinks it's in the best interests of NOA, and as long as the shareholders (who are primarily NCL, and may have conflicting interests) don't disagree."

So in other words he doesn't really have any power at all.

True, but the part of NCL that rules NOA is now led by Tatsumi Kimishima, an apparently ineffective leader who doesn't seem to have any opinions or ideas one way or another and is easily swayed, which means that the shoe is on the other foot, and NOA is unstoppable now. Two pronged assault replacing a handicap for the win.

FroMay 25, 2006

Basically shows you how much Iwata has changed Nintendo and how Nintendo of America seems to actually have a say in things these days.

Example: NCL actually asking Retro what they thought of the Wiimote; Retro Studios coming up with the Nunchuck attachment.

Hostile CreationMay 25, 2006

Ahem.

BEST NEWS, REGGIE WILL USHER IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER

CrimmJames Jones, Associate EditorMay 25, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: thejeek
I'm concerned now, when the ass kicking finally seems to be producing some results, that it would be dangerous to jepordise everything by entrusting it to unproven people. I think if Reggie needs to delegate, it should be the name taking as Avinash_Tyagi suggested and the ass kicking should remain firmly within his remit.

I think he will have to hire staffers based on their ass-kicking ability. Remember Mr. T was found at a contest for Bar Bouncers.

Certainly Lucas is old enough by now, and wise enough to have kept his gauntlet of power.

Just find the guy who played Mario in the TV show, and get him in the gym, and you've got an ass kicking tandem that would make NOA proud.

And, in true video game fashion, if they fail Reggie can deal with the situation. You never fight the strongest boss first.

NinGurl69 *hugglesMay 25, 2006

Well said.

I think the Power Glove is the 2nd-to-last treasure/power-up in Twilight Princess.

Athrun ZalaMay 25, 2006

well, he does deserving, after so much ass-kicking and name-taking.....

reggie FTW!

Quote
Originally posted by: ruby_onixAs President of NOA, Reggie actually sets the policy in this part of the world. Change the system's name back to Revolution? Done. Black console available at launch instead of purple or white? Done. Cancel the GBA to put all focus on the DS? Done. Cancel the DS to put all focus on the GBA? Done. Price cuts all around? Done. Ban Sega from the Virtual Console? Done. Shut down Nintendo power? Done. Put demo discs in Nintendo Power? Done. Put thirteen years worth of unused official Zelda manga into Nintendo Power? Done.

Quote
Originally posted by: UncleBob
So this means there's some kind of openings, somewhere, right?

Reggie, will you hire me? I'll lick the blood off your boots so they'll be shiney and clean for all your important meetings.

You do know that that's ass-blood, right?

that made me laugh a lot, simply brilliant

theRPGFreakMay 26, 2006

More by the day my confidence with Nintendo is restoring

ruby_onixMay 26, 2006

Here's a thought. What if Reggie said "I told you so" about the Wii-naming backlash? Iwata may have conceded to Reggie's superior knowlege of North America, and increased his authority as a result. What other trigger for this move could there have been?

Our bitching may have delivered President Reggie.

CyrianMay 26, 2006

Wow, when I saw the headline I thought that Nintendo was making a government or corporate game, something in the vein of Phoenix Wright. It's too early... ^_^:;;

CalibanMay 26, 2006

Believe it or not, after reading yesterday I didn't see that Reggie is NOA's president, but it was bugging me that alot of you were claiming him as president so today I read it more carefully and HUZZAH, holy, holy holy, holy, "I'm juggernaut bitch!", Reggie is indeed president of NOA. Wicked!

couchmonkeyMay 26, 2006

I think Reggie will make a good president as he does have opinions and clearly has some influence (changing name back to Revolution? HA HA HA HA HAHAHA.) but I think people take the man too seriously. In the 2.5 years he's been in charge of Sales and Marketing what has he done? He's turned us the hardcore Nintendo fans into screaming groupies, but in terms of MASS marketing, Nintendo is no better than ever before - the ads are just as bad as ever. However, maybe that makes this move to president that much better. He can use his PR genius to take NOA further and hopefully marketing will improve somehow...

Actually, I think the Wii marketing is pretty good, if they keep on this track. I know a lot of people aren't into the people in ads thing, but the point is to demonstrate how the machine works, and you can't do that with just video. The ads are also fairly inclusive, showing people from a wide array of genders, races and ages (though they seem to favour young white and Japanese adults).

Terranigma FreakMay 26, 2006

Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!

mantidorMay 26, 2006

I think marketing has improved tons since Reggie entered.

EasyCureMay 26, 2006

i just read what reggie did for pizza hut; he brought us the big foot pizza and the New Yorker. as a fatty, and speaking for all fatty pizza fans out there; God bless you reggie

IceColdMay 26, 2006

I can't believe the disparity in quality between the GameCube and the DS ads; the Wii should definitely follow in the footsteps of the DS in that regard.

couchmonkeyMay 26, 2006

The DS ads are a pretty good improvement. On the other hand, the first ad I remember coming out of the Reggie era is the stupid Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ad. I dunno, we'll see. To be fair, Reggie didn't write all the ads himself, he probably just gave general requests and approved or disapproved them.

ThePermMay 26, 2006

theres a difference between marketing and advertising...Reggie does stellar marketing, but really hasnt been involved with advertising. Maybe reggie will dump whatever outsourced crap company they have that does advertising and start producing inhouse advertisements.

NinGurl69 *hugglesMay 26, 2006

Wii's E3 performance is probably evidence of Reggie's "marketing."

No TV ads, no print ads, no FLASH ANIMATION ADS...

Just core hardware/gameplay concepts with a little Wii-naming controversy taken care of a few weeks before, signs of developer support plus a wide variety of demos on the show floor...

And you've got a packed E3 booth with media mentioning how "new" or "exciting" it is, while the only "popular" news to come out elsewhere is PS3's price.

That is a HUGE difference from Nintendo's performance at E3 2001.

Smash_BrotherMay 26, 2006

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Originally posted by: UncleBob Reggie, will you hire me? I'll lick the blood off your boots so they'll be shiney and clean for all your important meetings.

Given the odds of whose blood that might be, I'd highly recommend against that.

I'd wager half the people Reggie kicks have some kind of communicable disease.

KnowsNothingMay 26, 2006

yeah and what if Reggie stepped in something icky like gum I bet you didn't think of that did you oh ho ho

IceColdMay 26, 2006

Oh yes he did. In fact, he's banking on that happening..

antman100May 29, 2006

Exactly, how many asses and names has he kissed/taken?

I mean he tows the party line pretty well and I think GameBoy Micro took somebody's name, but he was able to get it back after a long court battle.

Hostile CreationMay 29, 2006

DO I SEE WHAT I THINK WHAT I THINK I SEE IN THAT POST ANTMAN

I think this calls for an insta-ban, no warning. No one mocks Reggie, inadvertantly or otherwise!

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