Nintendo Hires A Man Named Bowser As New President

When Nintendo of America named Doug Bowser as its new vice president of sales in 2015, the company pointed out the irony of having brought aboard an executive with the same name as the evil dragon who was the primary antagonist of the company’s Super Mario games.

“Nintendo of America has hired a new Vice President to lead the United States sales organization with a name that’s well-known in the Mushroom Kingdom,” the company’s press release said. “Effective today, Doug Bowser (no relation to the King Koopa and Mario’s longtime nemesis) will oversee a variety of sales-related functions.”

Now, Bowser is the new boss, if not the end boss.

Via Business Wire, Nintendo has announced in a press release that Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president for the last 13 years, is retiring and that none other than Doug Bowser will replace him as president. Bowser, since a promotion three years ago, had served as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, which is the Japanese gaming giant’s Redmond, Washington-based North American subsidiary.

Bowser, who previously worked for Electronic Arts as well as Proctor and Gamble, had been credited with supervising the successful North American launch of the Nintendo Switch. This press release, unlike the one four years ago, did not include any cheeky references to Bowser’s last name, but rather praised previous work as an executive with the company.

The fictional Bowser, a turtle-shelled dragon, was created by famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and first appeared in the original Super Mario Brothers game in 1985. For that game and others, Bowser was the last antagonist standing for players seeking to save the princess. He continued to be featured in Mario games in the ensuing decades.

Reggie Fils-Aime had led Nintendo of America as its president since 2006, a tenure that included the launches of the Nintendo Wii, DS, and 3DS. The company also built a new headquarters in the Seattle area and several new offices around the country during his tenure. In the release, Bowser thanked Fils-Aime for mentoring him during his time with the company.

“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” the outgoing president said in the release. “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.”