Nintendo of America seems to have kicked off the new year with a bang, as Devon Pritchard becomes the new President. Although it should come as no surprise, because the news of Devon stepping up for the role was already revealed some months earlier in 2025.
Fan reception over social media, as usual, has been mixed, with some looking forward to a female president assuming the role at Nintendo of America. While the rest of the crowd jumped on this opportunity to anonymously go on misogynistic rants.
But there’s also a separate group discussing the realistic prospects of Devon Pritchard assuming the role of president. This mostly stems from the facts regarding her personal history at Nintendo of America. To learn more about it, we need to delve into the history of the company’s presidents.
History of the Presidency at Nintendo of America
The Nintendo of America subsidiary was originally founded back in the 80s and still stands as one of the major pillars for the company’s spread in the Western market. The first president to take a seat at the subsidiary was Minoru Arakawa, the son-in-law of Hiroshi Yamauchi.
It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that the most recognized Nintendo of America president took up responsibilities. We are obviously referring to Reggie Fils-Aimé, who is the most recognized face of Nintendo. Even if he has left the company and his position, his laurels still stay on top of his head.
Reggie joined the company as the executive vice president back in 2003 and became one of the most beloved figures in the industry, well known for the memes and small skits surrounding him.
Soon after he left, the next person in line to assume the role of Nintendo’s President was Doug Spencer Bowser. He had been overseeing the subsidiary for a considerably shorter tenure compared to Reggie.
Even though fans were quick to pick up on the joke that Doug’s surname was shared with the eponymous Super Mario villain, the bond with the community never reached the heights that Reggie was able to achieve.
This is where Devon Pritchard comes in, who has just assumed her seat at the company. Most fans thinking critically of the situation are not aware of the inner workings at Nintendo. This is immediately relevant if we try to trace back Devon’s history with Nintendo of America.
The Future of Nintendo of America under Devon Pritchard
She joined Nintendo of America back in 2006, which was right on time when Reggie Fils-Aimé became the president of the subsidiary. Devon Pritchard originally assumed the role of the head of Nintendo’s legal department.
She eventually transitioned through other roles, including vice president for marketing and sales. She has now worked her way up to be appointed as Nintendo of America’s President. Most of the critical reactions come from the pre-conceived knowledge about her previous roles in the company.
But most people don’t think to look back at the fact that even Doug Bowser and Reggie Fils-Aimé had similar roles in the company before they assumed the presidency.
Some of the fans have also been assuming that Devon Pritchard cares less about Nintendo or its games. But there have been official social media posts and real photos showing that she has a special place in her heart for Nintendo games from a very young age.
The photo of her holding a Bulborb plushie is especially famous and reassuring for certain fans that Nintendo of America is still in good hands. This also led a number of people online to assume that new Pikmin news should be appearing sooner.
Regardless of assumptions, the most realistic difference in the company after this change will likely amount to nothing. Operations will move as they regularly do, and it should not be forgotten that this only changes the presidency for the American subsidiary of the video game company.
The most positive note out of this can be attributed to the fact that Nintendo of America is finally getting a female President.
