According to Kyodo News, Nintendo’s interim president, Tatsumi Kimishima, has officially stepped down during the company’s 78th annual general meeting of the shareholders. Kimishima was appointed president after the untimely death of former president, Satoru Iwata in July 2015.
The 129 year-old company we love will now be led by Shuntaro Furukawa, the sixth president in Nintendo’s history. We think it is important you know that Furukawa is not only a gamer himself, but he is also fluent in English, which possibly could have an impact on how they see their company moving forward, as even more of a global entity and influence with the gaming world.
The 46 year-old president had this to say when speaking with Bloomberg:
I grew up playing the Famicom and come from that generation. Now as a member of management with Super Mario’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto, I have a lot of respect for him. On the other hand, with this new job that can’t just be it, so I expect to say what needs to be said to run the company.
Kimishima, who said from the beginning that he did not plan to stay president for long, will continue to advise the Nintendo from the side, while Furukawa takes the lead role as president.
What do you think of this move? Let us know in the comments!
Steve is the Senior Editor of NintendoFuse and co-host of the NintendoFuse Podcast. He’s been a Nintendo gamer since age 6 and has been on staff with NintendoFuse since 2008.