Nintendo has named Tatsumi Kimishima as their new President.
Kimishima’s promotion comes following the death of Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata who passed away in July of this year at the age of 55. Since Iwata’s death, Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto have been serving as caretakers of the company until a suitable replacement was officially named. Rumors began flying that Miyamoto would be the one to take the reins of the company but we now know otherwise.
Kimishima, 65, has held several high profile positions at Nintendo. In 2000 he was hired as CFO of The Pokémon Company and was also President of Nintendo of America between 2002 and 2006 following the release of the GameCube in 2001. Unlike Iwata who was loved by many inside and outside of Nintendo because of his love for games and his technical prowess as a developer, Kimishima does not come from a development background.
“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer,” – Satoru Iwata
Miyamoto and Takeda have been promoted as well, with both being promoted to “Fellows”. Nintendo described a Fellow as an individual selected from among the Representative Directors who has advanced knowledge and extensive experience, and holds the role of providing advice and guidance regarding organizational operations in a specialized area. Miyamoto is now Creative Fellow, while Takeda has been promoted to Technology Fellow.
Kimishima’s promotion to President comes at a crucial time for Nintendo as the company undergoes a major transformation. One of the biggest changes is the branching out into the mobile gaming arena with Pokemon Go, a mobile game that brings the Pokemon franchise to the real world via mobile phones and the development of the much anticipated Nintendo NX, the successor to their moderately successful Wii U console.
