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Nintendo bids farewell to Bowser

AnyFans 2025-09-27

By Anthony Cuthbertson

Nintendo is saying goodbye to Bowser – but not the much-loved video game character.

Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America president and chief operating officer, has announced his retirement after more than a decade at the gaming giant.

During his time at the company, Mr Bowser oversaw the launch of the Nintendo Switch, which has become one of the most popular video game consoles of all time, with more than 150 million units sold.

In a post to X announcing his retirement, Mr Bowser posed with a cuddly toy of his namesake, having embraced sharing the name of the video game villain.

He spoke about about jokes being made about the case of nominative determinism during an appearance at the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation, saying that it was a signal that the franchise had “an amazing, passionate” following.

“It’s ironic that we share the same name, and there are times when it’ll be fun and we’ll play with it, but we’re two verry, very different characters,” he said. “I’m not tired of it at all though.”

“One of my earliest video game experiences was playing the arcade version of Donkey Kong,” he said in a statement.

“Since that time, all things Nintendo have continued to be a passion for both me and my family. Leading Nintendo of America has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am proud of what our team has accomplished in both business results and the experiences we’ve created for consumers.”

Mr Bowser will step down from the role on 31 December, 2025. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa announced that Mr Bowser would be replaced by Devon Pritchard, a 19-year veteran of the video game industry.

“During his tenure, Doug made numerous contributions to bring smiles to the faces of people connected to Nintendo,” Mr Furukawa said.

“I would like to express my gratitude for his strong efforts. Devon, who will become the next president, has also made many contributions to Nintendo over the years. I am confident that, like Doug, Devon will continue to support Nintendo’s important mission of creating smiles.”