Any reason why Bill Trinen was passed over for the job? Too valuable in his current position?
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Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime to Retire: Doug Bowser Named New President
- Thread starter Ghost
- Start date
Probably, NoA definitely needs his expertise in localization and Japanese relationship way more than his management skills.
NOA is primarily a marketing and distribution arm of Nintendo, so the president pretty much has to be a marketing/sales person
Late to the party and was probably posted already, but...
Thanks for the laughs, Reggie.
Damn. The foreshadowing on that gif lol
Bowser killed Reggie!
He got better
I mean, Trinen went to school for business and has a degree in one business science or another (forget which). That said, Trinen may not have wanted the job, he seems to enjoy being in charge of Treehouse.
My bad, lame reference to bowser in relation to the evil dude.
This strikes me as quite an ignorant comment. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it sounds like you haven't worked at a large organization.
Reggie's job is a CEO role. He's an executive who deals with strategy, hiring and firing top talent, overseeing logistics, doing business deals and working with NCL and NOE on a macro level. That's the real job. All the stuff you see in these videos, or him hanging out with fans at launch events, or doing presentations at trade shows ... that is really all extra. He could have had a bunch of hired hands who are slick on camera do that. It's what most huge-ass companies do. That he was able to both lead a large organization -- one that has a demanding, rabid fanbase no less -- with sustained success is no small thing. That he was able to inject his personality into the job was something else entirely.
If you want to see what he did "that was so great" you only need to look at where Nintendo's mindshare, marketshare and bottom line stand in North America. And if you think that's just a foregone conclusion because the people in Japan make awesome games, then you weren't paying attention during the GameCube or Wii U era, or you don't remember a company called Sega. Leadership isn't easy in the best of circumstances. To have success while also having fun and bringing fans along with you ... it's rare.
Greatest Marketing Executive of All Time
I face life tomorrow with uncertainty I haven't felt in 15 years.
I face life tomorrow with uncertainty I haven't felt in 15 years.
He said he plans on spending more time with his friends and family. Yes, 58 is relatively young to retire, but he's completely within his financial means to do so and still leave a lot to his family when he passes on. The dude isn't in any way hurting.
Interesting thing is who they hire to fill the newly vacated VP of sales and marketing
I hope it's someone dynamic and powerful. Maybe a surprise hire from the gaming industry that we know already though Nintendo seems to usually prefer going outside games to fill that spot. Reggie came from outside, Doug worked for EA but also worked at Proctor and Gamble. Scott Moffit, who left Nintendo also came from outside the industry.
I hope it's someone dynamic and powerful. Maybe a surprise hire from the gaming industry that we know already though Nintendo seems to usually prefer going outside games to fill that spot. Reggie came from outside, Doug worked for EA but also worked at Proctor and Gamble. Scott Moffit, who left Nintendo also came from outside the industry.
Yeah, I saw that, but I was being super cynical and assumed that there was more to the story. If he really is retiring so that he has more time for himself, then good on him (so to speak).
It's totally possible that he eventually moves to another company, but there is also no reason not to take him at his word. There have been no reports of internal strife with him and Nintendo at large and he doesn't seem to be being pushed out or anything. At his age, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go to another company where he's already top dog and making plenty of money especially one that's in one of it's best financial states it's ever been.
Doug was hired in 2015 when Scott Moffit was moved out, but Doug filled the spot Reggie filled from 2003-2006 before Reggie was promoted to President of NOA.
So he was likely being groomed to take over as far back as the Switch Launch. It was Doug who was at the NWorld Store on launch day for Switch to greet the people who camped out. Reggie's last hardware launch where he was at the Nintendo World Store was the Wii U IIRC. So I think internally they knew this was coming for a few years.
RUMOR: Microsoft has plans to bring in a 'Ready and Bodied' executive (Update: Possibly Reggie?)
In all honesty, I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't in the works to some extent since shortly after Iwata passed. It seemed to have hit everyone in the company pretty hard on both sides of the Pacific. Iwata was almost the same age as Reggie, I could see his sudden death being a wakeup call for someone else in their mid 50's.
Well I'm not commenting on his role as COO, I'm only commenting on how beloved he seems to have become through the customer engagement videos that have been made with him (mostly talking and acting stiffly, while a nice cg gag happens around him).
To say wether he was successful or not as a COO would be pretty presumptuos as we really aren't able to know.
Again, he's doing his job in those videos, following on from the Japanese Nintendo direct videos. They seem to have worked, so that's good, but personally seeing Reggie on screen always left me thinking he was like a large stuffed mannequin, and his PR speak on stage and in interviews was maddeningly hollow. But that's just me, you don't have to feel that way.
For what it's worth, I do work in a largish corporation, in marketing and I make customer engagement videos. Most executive leadership people are even stiffer than Reggie, but then I don't think anyone expects the internet to be upset if they retire.
I hope he enjoys his early retirement, I'm sure he will. He's leaving on a high note.
As amusing as that is, Reggie probably has a non-compete clause in his contract that specifically prohibits him from working at a rival company in a similar capacity for X amount of time after leaving Nintendo.
reggie does seem to have been very good for the company
from interviews i've seen, he seems to be more aware of issues relating to working climate and inclusivity than many other executives in the business
from interviews i've seen, he seems to be more aware of issues relating to working climate and inclusivity than many other executives in the business
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Aww, man. Gonna miss Reggie. I hope he still makes a surprise appearance here and there for Nintendo stuff, even if he's no longer working for them.
I am a bit sad that he won't be presenting anything at the game awards this year. He might still attend though, I'm sure Keighly would offer him tickets.
Hoping Bowser can fill the role.
Hoping Bowser can fill the role.
Thanks for this. That is good to know. Assuming on the Internet is dangerous - I was wrong about your work history.
Clearly you're looking at this through the lens of a video professional. (FWIW, I also help make marketing videos for a large nonprofit entity.) Reggie is no Oscar nominee, for sure. But he connected with people, and that is what counts. No one can connect with everybody, but he's beloved by fans. What more can a brand ambassador hope for? He was successful by that measure, despite any technical or talent shortcomings.
And on a similar note, we can actually tell Reggie's success as an executive. NOA has been highly successful financially under his watch. He lasted 15 years (!) and is leaving with the respect of people inside the organization and industry. The Switch is seeing a major bounce in the US after the Wii U struggled. We don't have to be a fly on the wall in a board room to judge his work -- it's all right there.
This is a huge blow to Nintendo, he pretty much embodied their values perfectly. There may be another person to take his position but they won't fill his shoes.
Outside of maybe one more appearance at The Game Awards to get a lifetime achievement, I don't see Reggie making any more appearances. Dude probably wants to stay out of the limelight
