You may not have heard of him, but Randy Peretzman is a veteran at NoA and will retire at the end of the year, to be replaced by Kevan Wilson.

After 20 years of dedicated service (a long time in the video game industry), Randy Peretzman has decided to step down due to health reasons. Nintendo of America's president, Tatsumi Kimishima, said that "from the launch of the original NES to our latest software phenomenon, Nintendogs, Randy has made significant contributions to the success of every new hardware and software launch. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well."

Executive vice president of sales and marketing and Nintendo icon Reggie Fils-Aime had the following to boom loudly: "Randy's dedication to this company and enthusiasm for our products are unwavering. We have him to thank for so many of our successful sales initiatives and product launches."

Back when retailers had little interest in video games, Peretzman joined Nintendo as the company's first regional sales manager in New York. His first project - the launch of the NES. After hand-carrying NES prototypes from one New York retailer to another, he effectively helped re-launch the video game industry into the $10 billion industry it is today.

Peretzman relocated to the state of Washington in 1992 to take on the role of director of sales. In 1996, he was promoted to vice president of sales. In his current role, he has overall responsibility for the entire Nintendo of America sales department, including establishing the strategic direction and objectives for the division. Quite a big job then.

From the end of the year, Peretzman plans to travel and spend more time with his family. We wish him a happy retirement.

Replacing him from the end of the year will be Kevan Wilson - an 11-year veteran of Nintendo. "From increasing sales volumes with our biggest retail accounts to implementing key strategic sales department initiatives, Kevan has made remarkable contributions to our success," said Kimishima. "This well-deserved promotion reflects his incredible drive and dedication to our business."

Reggie added that "Kevan's demonstrated success in driving sales, implementing new programs and leading a team is ideal for directing the outstanding group of sales professionals already in place in our organization."