It's almost too good to be true. President of Nintendo America Reggie Fils-Aime has officially stepped down after a successful 15-year-run. Now, the replacement has been selected: Doug Bowser. Of course, it's likely that Bowser has already heard damn near every possible joke during his tenure with as the company's Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, but that doesn't make it any less amusing for us online folk. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Of course, Bowser - Mario's nemesis, not the man - stands among Nintendo's most legendary characters, appearing in the Mario series, being an eternal pain-in the ass in Mario Party, and a formidable drop-kick doling foe in the recent Super Smash Bros. His likeness is iconic to say the least, his penchant for kidnapping comely princesses legendary. Suffice it so say, if Doug Bowser can handle his responsibilities with a simple fraction of his video game counterpart's swagger, we're in good hands. May the Bowser reign be long and prosperous. Check out some amusing memes, as well as a heartfelt farewell message from Reggie, below.<doc-sep>Nintendo fans all over the world were shocked to learn today that Reggie Fils-Aime is retiring as Nintendo of America president. However, while Fils-Aime retiring is big news, fans started to freak out when they learned that the new president's name is Doug Bowser. Yes, Bowser, the name of the supervillain, the king of the Koopas, in the Super Mario Bros. franchise, which is the highest grossing franchise in the gaming company's long history. Reggie Fils-Aime started at Nintendo of America in 2003 as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing and later became its President and COO in May 2006. Fils-Aime has had a pretty incredible run with the video game company and he is satisfied with what he has achieved over the years, but feels that now is the perfect time to retire. Reggie Fils-Aime had this to say about stepping down this April. "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." That seems like a good enough reason to retire, but handing over the keys of the castle to a man with the name Bowser is just too weird for some Nintendo fans to take, so they have been posting about it on social media. Doug Bowser posted a picture of himself on Twitter holding up a card that says: "Thanks for the warm welcome," which seems innocent enough until you look closely at the background of the picture. An eagle-eyed social media user found that Bowser has two stuffed Mario and Luigi characters who are bound together by a Nintendo Game Cube controller, which is definitely something that a man named Bowser would do. Some Nintendo fans believe that there will be no more Mario games coming out because Doug Bowser is now president. Another user on social media noted that this hiring was pretty close to what Sony did with 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man when they hired a man named Marc Webb to direct. With that sentiment comes a ton of memes taking on the new Nintendo president. With a name like Doug Bowser, it's pretty crazy that Nintendo of America didn't bring any more attention to the name. With that being said, Reggie Fils-Aime did address the name in a heartfelt message to Nintendo fans all over the world. Fils-Aime believes that Bowser is the perfect name to take over Nintendo, even if fans theorize about dark days ahead for the Super Mario Bros. franchise. You can check out the farewell message below, thanks to the Nintendo of America Twitter account. 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 This is the first photo of Doug Bowser when he joined Nintendo We never getting a new Mario game ever again pic.twitter.com/thv6o9opvf — Nibel (@Nibellion) February 21, 2019 OOOO SHIT BOWSER IS TAKING OVER FOR REGGIE THIS IS NOT A DRILL BOWSER, KING OF THE KOOPAS, IS THE NEW HEAD OF NINTENDO OF AMERICA https://t.co/uiys6wJ6sD — GrandPooBear @planning Speedrun Sessions :) (@GrandPOOBear) February 21, 2019 sometimes i have to debate people on whether this is a serious industry or not and then they make bowser the CEO and i just https://t.co/HGUNNbIjJK — mono bread aggro (@failnaut) February 21, 2019 Bowser on his first day as president of Nintendo of America pic.twitter.com/hGrvNSMOna — Wonder Rhiff (@rhiwion) February 21, 2019 also let me confirm again that Doug Bowser did not, repeat NOT, change his last name for the Nintendo gig. Yes I asked https://t.co/d6hr1GIQ1Q — Galarian Holly Green (@winnersusedrugs) February 21, 2019 Doug Bowser? This must be like when they hired a director for a Spider-Man movie just because his name was Marc Webb. — Brock Wilbur (@brockwilbur) February 21, 2019 Why is everyone shocked Bowser is now in charge of Nintendo America? Look how passionate he is about playing games with fans pic.twitter.com/UiVLHqxMlL — Mica Burton (@MicaBurton) February 21, 2019 introducing Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser pic.twitter.com/YlCzLccoSo — ǤЯIMΞCRΛFГ® (@GRIMECRAFT) February 21, 2019 Just wait until we hear about Activision's next president, Steve Lootbox — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 21, 2019 conspiracy theory: doug bowser was a mail room guy who legally changed his name, walked in to a corporate meeting, and was instantly awarded an executive position — merritt k (@merrittk) February 21, 2019 It's the first day of knowing that Nintendo of America's new president's name is Doug Bowser, and the jokes are old already. Also it's not funny for the NoA employees who now have to search the building to find the stars to unlock his office door when they need to talk to him — supergreatfriend (@supergreatfrien) February 21, 2019<doc-sep>Reggie Fils-Aimé, taker of names One of the most recognisable faces at Nintendo is leaving the company after 15 years, but his replacement has a strangely appropriate name. Amazon mocked for AmaZen mental health 'cry closets' set up on factory floor The most prominent non-Japanese exec at Nintendo has announced his retirement, with president and COO Reginald Fils-Aimé set to retire on 15 April. Reggie, as he’s known to fans, joined Nintendo of America in 2003 as executive vice president of sales and marketing and was put to work the next year fronting E3 during one of Nintendo’s leaner periods towards the end of the GameCube’s lifespan. He was an instant hit, winning audiences over with his famous introduction of: ‘My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games.’ Two years later and he was president of the whole American side of the company and while he’s less well known in Europe, since he generally doesn’t appear in our locally-tailored Nintendo Directs, he’ll still be a very familiar figure to all Nintendo fans. 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 To announce his departure he made the rather heartfelt video above, in which he thanked fans and seemed genuinely emotional about leaving the company. ‘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,’ he said. All the best to Reggie Fils-Aime on the next phase of his life and career. Great leader, industry partner and friend. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 21, 2019 Although Fils-Aimé spoke about retiring from Nintendo to spend more time with his family and friends he didn’t specify whether he was giving up work entirely, so there must be at least some possibility he’ll return to the industry at some point in the future. For now though his shoes are being filled by – and we’re really not making this up – Doug Bowser, who currently has Fils-Aimé’s old job as the head of sales and marketing. It’s a wonderful bit of nominative determinism but, err… Bowser does seem the right man for the job and will already be a familiar face to American Nintendo fans at least. ‘It has been my great fortune to work with and be mentored by Reggie for four years at Nintendo of America, 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,’ said Bowser (we’re still talking about Doug here, not the king of the koopas). Email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter<doc-sep>
When Nintendo of America named Doug Bowser as its new vice president of sales in 2015, the company pointed out the irony of having brought aboard an executive with the same name as the evil dragon who was the primary antagonist of the company's Super Mario games. "Nintendo of America has hired a new Vice President to lead the United States sales organization with a name that's well-known in the Mushroom Kingdom," the company's press release said. "Effective today, Doug Bowser (no relation to the King Koopa and Mario's longtime nemesis) will oversee a variety of sales-related functions." Now, Bowser is the new boss, if not the end boss. Via Business Wire, Nintendo has announced in a press release that Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's president for the last 13 years, is retiring and that none other than Doug Bowser will replace him as president. Bowser, since a promotion three years ago, had served as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, which is the Japanese gaming giant's Redmond, Washington-based North American subsidiary. Bowser, who previously worked for Electronic Arts as well as Proctor and Gamble, had been credited with supervising the successful North American launch of the Nintendo Switch. This press release, unlike the one four years ago, did not include any cheeky references to Bowser's last name, but rather praised previous work as an executive with the company. The fictional Bowser, a turtle-shelled dragon, was created by famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and first appeared in the original Super Mario Brothers game in 1985. For that game and others, Bowser was the last antagonist standing for players seeking to save the princess. He continued to be featured in Mario games in the ensuing decades. This is the first photo of Doug Bowser when he joined Nintendo We never getting a new Mario game ever again pic.twitter.com/thv6o9opvf — Nibel (@Nibellion) February 21, 2019 Reggie Fils-Aime had led Nintendo of America as its president since 2006, a tenure that included the launches of the Nintendo Wii, DS, and 3DS. The company also built a new headquarters in the Seattle area and several new offices around the country during his tenure. In the release, Bowser thanked Fils-Aime for mentoring him during his time with the company. "Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever," the outgoing president said in the release. "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."