Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser Announces His Retirement, Devon Pritchard Named as Successor

Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Doug Bowser has announced his retirement, which starts connected December 31, 2025.

The announcement comes conscionable shy of 4 months aft the palmy merchandise of the Nintendo Switch 2, which is not lone the fastest-selling Nintendo hardware ever, but the fastest-selling gaming hardware successful U.S. history.

Bowser exits Nintendo aft much than a decennary successful assorted enactment positions astatine the company, and six years aft helium succeeded erstwhile NOA President Reggie Fils-Aimé. Under his tenure, Nintendo has capitalized connected the blockbuster occurrence of the Nintendo Switch and expanded Nintendo brands into non-video crippled areas, specified arsenic taxable parks, stores, and movies. The Super Mario Bros. Movie deed theaters successful 2023 and made an unthinkable $1.361 cardinal astatine the planetary container office. A sequel is owed retired adjacent year.

Doug Bowser is connected his mode retired of Nintendo. Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images.

IGN past interviewed Bowser successful May to coincide with the opening of Nintendo’s caller San Francisco store successful Union Square, its 2nd authoritative Nintendo store successful the U.S. We asked him astir Nintendo’s immense propulsion extracurricular of its accepted video crippled concern and its evolving mission.

“I don't deliberation the ngo has really changed,” helium replied. “Our ngo is precise simple, to make smiles. If you deliberation astir our strategy and however bash we enactment that mission, it's astir incrementing the fig of interaction points that consumers tin person with our IP, whether it's our characters, our world, done a assortment of experiences. And I deliberation you deed connected it arsenic an amusement company, portion the halfway of our concern model, if you will, is video games, we besides look astatine opportunities similar movies, taxable parks, oregon adjacent stores similar Nintendo San Francisco arsenic a spot for radical to person that immersion and those experiences with our IP overall. So to your point, we've got a bid of events that are coming up this year. But it's truly conscionable a fantastic accidental for america to prosecute with consumers successful a big of antithetic ways and, frankly, to physique connected their affinity and their emotion and their passionateness for our characters.”

While the Switch 2 has proven hugely popular, Nintendo has faced challenges astatine launch. In August, Nintendo announced a scope of terms rises for assorted OG Switch products successful the U.S., and warned terms rises for the Switch 2, video games, and the Nintendo Switch Online rank whitethorn beryllium coming down the line. The terms rises were "based connected marketplace conditions," Nintendo said astatine the time, and came into effect amid tariff uncertainty.

Nintendo was besides critisized by immoderate for the instauration of Game-Key Cards, which are small much than a "key" to downloading a afloat game, with the Nintendo Switch 2. In his interrogation with IGN, Bowser insisted carnal games "are inactive a cardinal portion of our business," but defended the instauration of Game-Key Cards.

"When you look astatine Game-Key Cards, for us, our extremity with Nintendo Switch 2 – akin to what we were capable to execute connected Nintendo Switch – is to person the broadest and deepest room of contented we perchance can. And that includes our publishing partners. And Game-Key Cards are a mode that our publishing partners are capable to bring much contented onto the platform, deeper and larger, much immersive contented connected the platform."

Nintendo has besides been criticized precocious for its patent conflict with Palworld developer Pocketpair. Earlier this month, Nintendo argued user-made mods should not beryllium considered anterior art, which raised eyebrows crossed the games manufacture and among Pokémon fans alike, with galore suggesting it could person far-reaching consequences if accepted by a judge.

IP lawyers person besides criticised the U.S. patent strategy aft Nintendo was awarded a Pokémon patent that revolves astir summoning a quality and letting it fight. IP adept Florian Mueller took to societal media to accidental Nintendo “should never” person received a "summon quality and fto it fight" patent successful the archetypal place, portion video crippled patent lawyer Kirk Sigmon told PC Gamer "these claims were successful nary mode allowable."

Replacing Bowser arsenic President is Devon Pritchard, a 19-year seasoned of the video crippled manufacture and long-standing subordinate of the NOA enactment team. In addition, Satoru Shibata volition articulation NOA arsenic CEO, portion continuing his roles arsenic Managing Executive Officer and Corporate Director, Member of the Board astatine Nintendo Co., Ltd. (NCL). Pritchard volition besides articulation the NOA Board of Directors and go an NCL Executive Officer.

Here’s a enactment from Nintendo to travel today’s announcement:

"Bowser’s distinguished tenure includes delivering connected the committedness of the Nintendo Switch strategy to alteration the mode radical play video games and bring caller experiences to a wide scope of consumers. Earlier this year, helium expanded connected that ngo erstwhile helium oversaw the motorboat of Nintendo Switch 2 successful the Americas and helped found the strategy arsenic the best-selling video crippled console of each clip successful its archetypal income period.

“Also, during his clip with Nintendo, the institution saw important enlargement into amusement ventures specified arsenic taxable parks and films, each with the extremity of giving much radical much opportunities to prosecute with Nintendo’s characters and worlds.”

“One of my earliest video crippled experiences was playing the arcade mentation of Donkey Kong,” Bowser commented. “Since that time, each things Nintendo person continued to beryllium a passionateness for some maine and my family. Leading Nintendo of America has been the grant of a lifetime, and I americium arrogant of what our squad has accomplished successful some concern results and the experiences we’ve created for consumers.”

“Now, it’s clip for the adjacent procreation of enactment and Devon’s way grounds speaks for itself,” Bowser continued. “She is an exceptional leader, and her promotion is simply a testament to her beardown show and strategical contributions to the company’s growth. I person afloat assurance that she volition usher the institution to adjacent greater heights.”

Today, I announced my program to discontinue from Nintendo, effectual December 31, 2025. Nintendo has been an integral portion of my beingness for 44 years, starting with Donkey Kong Arcade arsenic a kid successful college. It has been an grant to lend to this unthinkable institution and bring our beloved… pic.twitter.com/nIzCnHjQ9E

— Doug Bowser (@thetruebowser) September 25, 2025

According to Nintendo, Pritchard has held enforcement positions successful Marketing, Business Affairs, and Publisher Relations, and presently serves arsenic NOA’s Executive Vice President of Revenue, Marketing and Consumer Experience.

“Putting Nintendo fans astatine the apical of her agenda, Pritchard plans to physique connected the galore experiences that let consumers to link with Nintendo's characters and worlds, from video games to amusement to retail experiences,” Nintendo added.

“I americium humbled and excited to instrumentality connected this caller role,” Pritchard said. “Doug has been a fantastic mentor, and I look guardant to gathering connected the unthinkable instauration helium has helped establish. With characters and worlds that connection thing for everyone, my absorption volition beryllium continuing to physique connected Nintendo’s bequest of astonishing and delighting our longtime fans, portion astatine the aforesaid clip welcoming caller players into the Nintendo family.”

Congratulations to Devon Pritchard connected her ascension astatine Nintendo of America! 💐🎉👏 We welcomed her to PlayStation field a fewer years agone to observe #GirlsMakeGames, with @XboxP3 and others. Could not beryllium happier for you, Devon! 🎮💪🏼💙#Nintendo #playstation #xbox pic.twitter.com/rK8bfyBM56

— shawn layden 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇸🇯🇵 (@ShawnLayden) September 26, 2025

NCL President Shuntaro Furukawa thanked Bowser for his contributions. “During his tenure, Doug made galore contributions to bring smiles to the faces of radical connected to Nintendo. I would similar to explicit my gratitude for his beardown efforts. Devon, who volition go the adjacent president, has besides made galore contributions to Nintendo implicit the years. I americium assured that, similar Doug, Devon volition proceed to enactment Nintendo’s important ngo of creating smiles.”

Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].