After working for Nintendo of America for fifteen years, President and COO at Nintendo of America, the great Reggie Fils-Aimé has announced that he is retiring with his last day at NoA being April 15th 2019 with Doug Bowser taking over from that point.

Over the years it's fair to say that Reggie has become a more than familiar face within Nintendo and has been a large part of their brand since the Wii era right up to present day.

While perhaps not all Nintendo fans were happy with some of his quotes during tougher times at Nintendo, he has been there through it all, answering the questions that no one else wanted to, which at the very least is commendable.

Personally, I will choose to remember the fonder times when Reggie would brighten up many an E3 press conference or even Nintendo Direct broadcasts as he really knew how to deliver a speech in an impactful manner which would resonate with many, no matter what the topic.

Here's what Reggie had to say about this quite shocking announcement...

"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."

Meanwhile, the future Nintendo President Doug Bowser had this to say...

"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."

And the President of Nintendo Co. Ltd Shuntaro Fururkawa commented on this upcoming change in management...

"I really appreciate everything Reggie has done for Nintendo. Inside and outside our company, Reggie is known as an exceptional leader. We are grateful that he is leaving the business in good shape with strong momentum. While we will miss him and we wish him the very best in his retirement, we are also pleased to have such an able successor ready to step into that role. Doug Bowser and the rest of the team will ensure a seamless transition and continued momentum for Nintendo."

Here is the video of Reggie's retirment announcement which was posted on Twitter... (video is a reupload via IGN's YouTube channel)

Also, here is a video featuring some of Reggie's greatest moments including his wonderful speech about the late Satoru Iwata... (video from GameXplain)

Here at N-Europe we'd like to wish Reggie all the very best for the future and hope that he enjoys his surely well-earned retirement.

And of course a warm welcome to Doug Bowser who we hope will continue to lead Nintendo of America through this prosperous era and beyond.

Do you have any memories of Reggie during his long career at Nintendo?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or join in with the discussion on our forum.