In a move that covers every emotion from happiness to sadness to bittersweetness, long-time Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime is leaving the company. He’s leaving on his own accord, wanting to spend time with his family while he’s still in good health. However, in a touching note that means he won’t be leaving us forever, Reggie Fils-Aime joins Twitter on his last day at Nintendo.
The former president’s first tweet is simply a figure of him holding his Twitter handle on a piece of paper. Somehow (read: lots of money), the man obtained the “@Reggie” Twitter handle from whoever had it before him.
Hi Twitter community. pic.twitter.com/1XUreHxM5W
— Reggie Fils-Aimé (@Reggie) April 15, 2019
Fils-Aime is leaving after 15 years with the company. “Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” he said during the announcement on February 21. Doug Bowser (yes, Bowser) will take over, leaving his spot as the company’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During his 15 years, Fils-Aime was President for 13 of them. Before this, he was in Bowser’s position as VP of Sales and Marketing. Nintendo shared this video on the day of the announcement:
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
Now that you’re done crying, take a moment to reflect on how the President of a massive company can have such a personal impact. Most of the time, we view companies as cold entities that want nothing but to take our money. Fils-Aime put a face to Nintendo. He associated with his fans and made the company one we’re happy to spend our hard-earned time and money on.
For an example of his influence, note that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of the most prolific celebrities in the world, commented on Reggie’s departure video. Not only did Fils-Aime impact gamers, but his reach also made it to those far outside the industry as well. That’s a career to be proud of.
Congrats on such a prolific and epic career amigo. Way to impact lives – mine included! Thanks for creating fun!👏🏾👏🏾👊🏾
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 23, 2019
For more examples of Reggie goodness, take a look at our top 10 moments where the once President was more than just a businessman. On that note, while he was a kind soul, Reggie knew when to keep it real as well. For example, the man straight up said that companies should simply make better games if they’re worried about used games sales.
