Reggie Fils-Aime Says a Heartwarming Goodbye to Fans

When we saw the news that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime was retiring, it was hard not to feel a little bit sad. Fils-Aime has in many ways been the face of Nintendo in western territories since he rose to the role in 2004. He may have had a penchant for "kicking ass," but he also boasted a passion for games that was unlike most big industry executives. He was personable, but most notably, a damn good salesperson. He made everyone believe in Nintendo and its family-first perspective.

Shortly after the press release hit our inboxes and fans and press far and wide gasped in astonishment, Nintendo of America released a short video on its Twitter of Fils-Aime saying goodbye to the company he called home for 15 years.

The video is a short montage of Fils-Aime's time with the company, from his turn as "Fils-A-Mech" in a Mega 64-produced video to a claymation version of himself eating a Fire Plant before he would go on to incinerate a loud audience member asking about Mother 3. Fils-Aime had a stellar sense of humor and a natural kindness that made him easy to like. In this industry, Fils-Aime was a rarity.

In the goodbye video, Fils-Aime effectively passes the baton over to new Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, who has been with Nintendo as the Head of Sales and Marketing for four years. He's not a complete stranger either, as he's been a familiar face at E3 and other Nintendo events. "With a name like Bowser, who better to hold the key to the Nintendo castle," Fils-Aime says. For those with doubts, in a tweet thanking Nintendo for the warm welcome when he joined the company, Bowser had Mario and Luigi tied up in the background as a goof.

"I leave in good health and good spirits," Fils-Aime continues in the video. "And believe me, my body is still ready."

Of course, the internet's acting like he's dead, when he's very much not. He's retiring at 57—a pretty sweet exit if you ask me—to "level up" and spend more time with his family and friends. He's probably way richer than all of us, and honestly, he's going to be living the good life in early retirement. Rest easy buddy. As for the rest of us, we're not going to be able to retire until we're in our 90s, but at least we'll still have Nintendo games to keep smiles on all our faces.