Long-time exec George Harrison is to leave Nintendo of America as the company upends its Sales and Marketing division.

George Harrison, Nintendo of America's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communication has today announced he is leaving after fifteen years at Nintendo. Back in June we previously reported on news that the company is planning to lose the majority of its Sales and Marketing employees when it upends from its current long-term headquarters in Redmond to relocate to New York and San Fransisco. The company's top man Reggie Fils-Aime revealed that as many as 60% of its workers would not be making the move.

At the time Harrison's job was called into question, as well as the jobs of other marketing execs and well known Nintendo personalities Perrin Kaplan and Beth Llewelyn, with rumours circling that all three would not survive the move. Today's news confirms this for Harrison, and adds credence to the news that job listings for posts identical to Kaplan and Llewelyn's have been posted, making their exits likely as well.

The news of Harrison's departure was leaked today to GameDaily.biz after Harrison circulated a internal voice message through the company explaining his "early retirement". He indicated he would remain to oversee the move, then leave shortly after. Nintendo has yet to comment the departure of Harrison or either of the other execs.

Harrison joined the company in March 1992 as Director of Advertising and Promotions where his work marketing the SNES earned him a promotion the following year to the Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications. Finally in 2001, he was promoted again to senior vice president, where he is currently in charge of the company's merchandising, publications, online presence, advertising, corporate communications and promotions. He was also a familiar face at Nintendo's annual E3 conference, where he talked through the company's financial figures although he was notably absent from this year's presentation.

N-Europe will have the latest on this as it breaks.