The former president of the US division remembers his past with Satoru Iwata, whom he considers a mentor.
Satoru Iwata, former president of Nintendo, died in 2015 at age 55, after a long illness. A few years later, in 2019, Reggie Fils-Aime, until then head of Nintendo America, announced his retirement from the Japanese company. After reappearing as a teacher, the charismatic leader has offered an exclusive interview to GameDaily.biz, in which he has sincere about his relationship with Iwata.
A relationship of more than a decade
“I have learned a lot from Mr. Iwata, so I will share a story,” he says. "When the opportunity arose to join Nintendo, I asked as part of the process to speak with Mr. Iwata." However, he discovered that he was not going to be involved. "Who is this candidate who thinks he can spend time with our global president," he thought would be commented on Nintendo. "But in the end they agreed to let me talk to Mr. Iwata before he decided to accept the position."
Reggie Fils-Aime, in his Nintendo office
It was established that they would chat for half an hour, but the conversation ended up lengthening much more. “And it really defined the scenario for the type of business and personal relationship we would have. We always talked. He was kind in sharing his perspective, ”always given to listen to what Fils-Aime had to say. "A person who had no experience in the video game business beyond being a player." However, Iwata valued his views because he brought "consumer sensitivity," that of the Western public. “And the relationship we had for almost 11 years was truly special. His open mind with me and the things we could do together were magical. ”
Reggie Fils-Aime highlights the great legacy that Satoru Iwata has built for the company, something that has made him meditate on the legacy he can leave behind. The president's death was one of the turning points. "I would say that this fact made me see the importance of making clear what I want to do."
