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Nintendo of America Has a New President

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the reggielution-goes-bigtime dept.

Stupid Dufus writes "GameDAILY Biz is reporting that Nintendo has changed ranks at its North American division. From the story: 'Nintendo of America has just announced three major executive promotions. Reggie Fils-Aime has become the new president and COO, while current president Tatsumi Kimishima has been elevated to chairman and CEO. Also, Mike Fukuda is being promoted from senior vp of Business Development to executive vp of Business Development.'"

40 comments

  1. If only Sony and Microsoft... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    If Sony and Microsoft got new leaders for their game divisions, maybe they could get their act together. Especially on the prices. A new born for a video game console is tad bit too much.

    1. Re:If only Sony and Microsoft... by grogdamighty · · Score: 4, Funny

      I had a low-birthweight kid and only got the core system. :(

      --
      My other sig is funny.
    2. Re:If only Sony and Microsoft... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      I have had conversations with more than a couple of people who say that the PS3's price won't affect its sales; I think these people are delusional. The benefit of a lower price point is that even people who have no money can afford your system.

      When I was in high school on of my friends really wanted a N64 at launch; his father was unemployed at the time and my friend was too involved in sports to hold a part time job so he had very limited access to spending money. What he decided to do was sell his SNES and all of his SNES games; after selling his SNES, and about 20-30 games, he had more than enough money to buy his N64.

      What I'm saying is that at $200 anyone can find the money to buy your system, at $600 it is a different story.

    3. Re:If only Sony and Microsoft... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sony and Microsoft are tech companies first, and gaming companies second. Nintendo is only a gaming company.

  2. I, for one by Red+Samurai · · Score: 4, Funny

    Welcome our new ass-kicking, name-taking, game-making COOverlord.

    1. Re:I, for one by Rod+Beauvex · · Score: 1, Funny

      http://www.reveries.com/reverb/kids_marketing/fils -aime/images/names.jpg

  3. The old president by lordmoose · · Score: 5, Funny

    They had to get rid of their old president, Nester, because he was giving away all the game secrets.

    1. Re:The old president by Rod+Beauvex · · Score: 0

      Seriously, this does bug me for some reason. A top level official leaving right before a big even such as the Wii? Sounds fishy...

    2. Re:The old president by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, he didn't really leave. He was "elevated," promoted if you will, to chairman and CEO.

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    3. Re:The old president by Kuukai · · Score: 1

      They had to get rid of their old president, Nester, because he was giving away all the game secrets.

      Yes, like when he slipped and said "up up down down left right left right b a start" at that press conference. I think that sealed his fate.

      --
      Sendou Wave Kick!!
    4. Re:The old president by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Yeah. So it's not another case of an idiot being kicked out...

      *cough* Bernie Stolar *cough*

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    5. Re:The old president by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kalinske and Moore were no better than Stolar. They were all idiots. Through their short-sighted stupidity, they each contributed directly to Sega's, Nintendo's, Sony's, Microsoft's, NEC's, Hitachi's, JVC's, Matsushita's, Toshiba's, IBM's, 3DFX's, Nvidia's, and ATI's relative positions in the worldwide games industry today. I don't give a fuck about Sega's origins, Sega of America simply had a suicidal combination of too much power within the Corporation and very poor direction.

      For starters, one could speculate that Microsoft wouldn't even be doing consoles (and Sega still would be) if Sega of America had played their cards right from 1992-1998. (1993-1994 was the real beginning of the end for Sega as a console manufacturer outside of Japan, and all of 1998-2006's attempted turnarounds - major and minor - have floundered).

      When I see how Nintendo of America was/is being managed starting with the GCN/GBA generation, I do not see any of the same problems that plagued Sega of America. They don't push ill-conceived policy back to NCL for ratification as Sega of America did, they act as two-way agents reporting between the head office and the American market. This is why, for the past four years (since the beginning of the GameCube's disappointing market performance relative to PS2), it has been easy to dismiss people's opinions of the games industry based on their answer to one simple question: Do you think Nintendo is on the verge of getting out of the console industry? Anyone who has ever answered yes clearly either had an agenda or simply lacked any kind of understanding about the industry. These people, mostly Americans and British, saw GameCube and were reminded of Saturn, when the analogy didn't fit at all. Just remember that GameCube, GBA, and DS have basically subsidized development of Wii. Saturn didn't fund Dreamcast, Saturn lost money (despite fair market performance in Japan) and Dreamcast was a last-ditch money grab that fared even worse. The differences can't be ignored.

      As for the promotions, I'm all for them, especially for Reggie Fils-Aime'. Reggie has been a good representative for Nintendo for the past couple of years. He brings charisma and outward credibility to the position. I also get the sense that he is sincere when he iterates what Nintendo's direction is. There's a definite clarity to everything he says, unlike certain other orators in and out of the industry who shall go unnamed. *

      * Anonymous example #1: We definitely aren't into gimmicks. Riiiiiiiidge Racer! Oh, and here's our controller, now with innovative motion detection.

      Anonymous example #2: I believe strongly in the bill, but I voted against it, and here's why.

  4. anyone get axed? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So, did anyone get axed? Who was their former CEO?

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:anyone get axed? by Stuart+Gibson · · Score: 0, Redundant

      From the summary:

      "while current president Tatsumi Kimishima has been elevated to chairman and CEO"

      OK, don't read TFA but at least read TFS :)

      --
      It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again
    2. Re:anyone get axed? by Pendersempai · · Score: 1

      Note that GP asked who was the original CEO, not president.

    3. Re:anyone get axed? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

      Thank you for that bit of insight. As Pendersempai points out below, the former President (Kimishima) has been moved to Chairman of the BoD and CEO, which does not answer my question. According to TFA, Reggie is the new President and COO, and Fukuda is now Exec VP of BusDev. Ignoring Fukuda, Reggie and Kimishima seem to basically have been bumped up a notch each. Usually, in order for that to happen, there needs to be a vacancy. In this case, it sounds like that was the CEO position. Now, either NOA's been running without a CEO for a while or somebody retired/got axed. Which brings me back around to the questions I originally asked.

      --
      This guy's the limit!
    4. Re:anyone get axed? by Stuart+Gibson · · Score: 1

      Yeah, my bad, I noticed that right after I posted, then tried to post a retraction and apology, which also seems to have gone missing (along with my ability to RTFC). So let's put it down to a bad Slashdot night and I'll go play Animal Crossing :)

      --
      It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again
    5. Re:anyone get axed? by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "Now, either NOA's been running without a CEO for a while or somebody retired/got axed."

      I don't know what happened in the meantime, but Yamauchi retired relatively recently and Iwata, former chief in the US, got bumped up to overall big-shot.

    6. Re:anyone get axed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nintendo of America has not previously had a CEO. The position is new.

      Kimishima Tatsumi replaces Howard Lincoln (who has retired to take care of the Seattle Mariners, which are no longer owned by Yamauchi Hiroshi but by Nintendo themselves) as Chairman of the Board as well as taking the new CEO position.

      So, nobody was ousted. How wonderfully Japanese, to benefit all parties involved and generate a whole lot of goodwill over a few strategic title shifts.

      Note that Yamauchi, former President, CEO, and Chairman of Nintendo Corporation Limited, passed that position on to Iwata Satoru a couple of years ago. The buck stops there. That was the most pivotal sea change leading to Nintendo's guaranteed future. Yamauchi was a visionary, but certain strained relationships, both his fault and not, could not be mended until he left.

      So the organizational chart has Iwata on the top, Kimishima one level down (at NoA), and Reggie another level down. One level lower than that, I believe you find Mike Fukuda and George Harrison, then Perrin Kaplan and then Beth Llewellyn, etc.

      Note, I don't mean to imply that anyone I mentioned reports to the person I mentioned immediately prior, I'm just trying to flesh out the hierarchy of certain individuals that we've all heard from, according to what I understand of their positions. I'm not consulting any external sources, so I would welcome any corrections.

    7. Re:anyone get axed? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

      Thanks very much for the answer. That's exactly what I was looking for. While it's not totally unheard of for a large company not to have a CEO, it still seems a bit odd...

      --
      This guy's the limit!
  5. He looks like me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For a while now, Reggie's pictures have popped up, and I look a bit like him, a little less... "intense."

    Kinda freaky.

  6. Chairman/CEO and President/COO? by Khopesh · · Score: 1
    Ah, sharing responsibilities, politically correct titles that obfuscate the apparent chain of command. Who is in charge? The article makes Fils-Aime look like just a COO, not President ...

    I actually suggested this strategy in a recent ask slashdot post, but that was adivce to a two-man operation ... a huge corporation like Nintendo of America should probably not be playing that kind of game, especially if they have nothing to hide and no investigations to dodge.

    --
    Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.
    1. Re:Chairman/CEO and President/COO? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess you do alright for yourself, what with all those multibillion dollar operations you run from your homebase here on Slashdot.

  7. Yawn... by ravyne · · Score: 1

    Wake me when it's Claude Comair!

    1. Re:Yawn... by BinaryOpty · · Score: 1

      Ahaha, Claude Comair being the President of NOA would spell doom for the company if how he's managed DigiPen is any indication.

    2. Re:Yawn... by PhoenixOne · · Score: 1
      Ah, another DigiPen student I take it.

      Toto, tata, titi. ;)

      --
      Spell cheek you've failed me four the last thyme!
    3. Re:Yawn... by nekura · · Score: 1

      'nother one here.

      --

      "Programming is like sex - one mistake and you'll have to support it for the rest of your life."
  8. Higher-ups Schmigher-ups by grammar+fascist · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I really don't care what happens with Nintendo's higher-ups as long as Shigeru Miyamoto keeps making games there.

    Heck, if he made them somewhere else, I'd probably defect.

    --
    I got my Linux laptop at System76.
    1. Re:Higher-ups Schmigher-ups by mrnobo1024 · · Score: 1

      Shigeru works for Nintendo Co. Ltd. (the Japanese division, sometimes erroneously called "Nintendo of Japan"), not Nintendo of America.

    2. Re:Higher-ups Schmigher-ups by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heck, if he made them somewhere else, I'd probably defect.

      I probably wouldn't defect, per se, but I would certainly follow his work. Miyamoto is a genius, but there is more to Nintendo than just Miyamoto. Even he knows that, although he is the single biggest reason Nintendo is as respected in the gaming industry as it is.

      All I'm sure of is that Nintendo will be riding high even if Miyamoto ever decides to retire or for whatever other reason no longer produces games for them. The Nintendo of today is quite diversified and consists of quite a large talent pool.

  9. Reggie as president is very good news by Rolman · · Score: 2, Informative

    Former NOA President and founder Minoru Arakawa used to be a very aggressive businessman who, back in the 80's pioneered most of what are considered normal business practices in the whole industry today. Both criticized and admired, he single-handedly revived the videogame industry in America and made NOA what it is.

    It was kinda sad to see him replaced by Tatsumi Kimishima, formerly the President of Pokémon USA. NOA has definitely become a lot more passive since then. Not to bash Kimishima, though, because Nintendo continues to be a good business. That hasn't changed one bit and I'm sure that's a very good reason to make Kimishima remain in the top position as CEO.

    Now enter Reggie Fils-Aime, who introduced himself to the public as an ass-kicker, name-taker guy. I've met the guy myself a couple times, he's extremely sharp and has a very good forward-thinking attitude. This is the kind of person I'd really like to see driving Nintendo into the future.

    I'm happy to see Nintendo rearranging the chain of command to place Reggie in a better position to take decisions about the company's direction.

    More power to him.

    --
    - Otaku no naka no otaku, otaking da!!!
  10. That's the Konami code, not Nintendo by tepples · · Score: 1

    Nintendo didn't use the Konami code. Konami did.

    1. Re:That's the Konami code, not Nintendo by Kuukai · · Score: 1

      Putting aside the fact that it was a joke and that that detail doesn't really have anything to do with it, Mario Kart DS and the "WarioWare, Inc Mega..." games, among others, use the Konami code.

      --
      Sendou Wave Kick!!
  11. Good by Piroca · · Score: 1


    I don't mean to be a troll, but what's the relevance of this? Nintendo of America is pretty irrelevant as a business. From the post count you can figure out this is absolutely of no interest for everyone...

    1. Re:Good by SageinaRage · · Score: 1

      I think it's more a case of, people don't really know what to expect. So far, Reggie's just done a lot of marketing, so we don't know what kind of new decisions he would make as president. And if you think that Nintendo is irrelevant as a business, then you must not pay attention to the news, or know what makes a business relevant.

    2. Re:Good by DDLKermit007 · · Score: 1

      Your either new here (your UID is too low for that) or just another Sony PR troll. For an irrelivent company it sure got Sony to react with a bad controler resdesign. I wish I had modpoints to mod you as troll.

    3. Re:Good by Duds · · Score: 1

      I think it's more that it's on the front page as literally just a headline, and the headline isn't interested.

      If the headline had mentioned Reggie, you'd get a lot more posts.

  12. Is Reggie the new Howard Phillips? by MilenCent · · Score: 1

    Howard Phillips was the "president of the Nintendo Fun Club," and the first editor of Nintendo Power. The man was a kind of all-around spokesman/friendly corporate face/human mascot for Nintendo at the time, to the degree that he was one-half of the "Howard and Nester" comic printed in the magazine. Eventually he left the company, and bounced around the industry for a while, but once in a while the magazine will still mention him. (Entertainingly, he now works for Microsoft Game Studios, who could really use such a humanizing face.)

    Now, Reggie Fils-Amie is the one person working at Nintendo of America that a non-initiate would be likely to name. Putting aside how one feels about his over-proclaimed kicking of ass and taking of name, he doesn't seem quite as jolly as their former spokesman. I'm thinking specifically of his speeches back at Nintendo's E3 press conference. Phillips was (if memory serves, it's been a while) humorous and self-effacing, while Fils-Amie talks trash. With buzz over Wii fairly high after the show, he has the potential to preside (as much as a non-American can ever preside at NOA) over a resurging of the company's fortunes unequaled since the NES days.

    How long before we get a Reggie and Nester comic? Can it really be so long, and will he be wiping the floor with that punk round-headed kid's ass? Could that happen soon enough?