Man named Bowser to take over at Nintendo of America

Doug Bowser is about to become the president at Nintendo of America, and if you’re not snickering right now, that’s because you’ve never played through a game of Super Mario Bros.

The character Bowser was first introduced as King Koopa in the Super Mario Bros. games on the original Nintendo Entertainment System and has since gone on to be one of the most recognizable antagonists in all of video gaming.

Bowser — who’s actually Nintendo of America’s current senior vice president of sales and marketing, and not a giant reptilian boss-monster — will be king of the castle on April 15, when current President Reggie Fils-Aime steps down to retire after 15 years with the company.

Fils-Aime oversaw Nintendo of America’s wildly successful launch of the Nintendo Wii and helmed the company’s U.S. operations for 13 years. The company’s latest video gaming console is the Nintendo Switch.

“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” Fils-Aime said in a statement from Nintendo. “As I look forward to departing in both good health and good humor, this is not ‘game over’ for me, but instead ‘leveling up’ to more time with my wife, family and friends.”

Bowser says he’ll help “continue to build on [Reggie’s] work to evolve and expand.”