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| Devon Pritchard steps into the role of President and COO as Nintendo of America begins its next chapter. |
By Juli Scarr
As Devon Pritchard steps into the President and Chief Operating Officer role at Nintendo of America today, the move reflects a planned transition rather than a sudden change at the top. This leadership shift has been in motion for months, following Doug Bowser’s announcement late last year that he would retire at the end of 2025.
Nintendo didn’t scramble to fill a vacancy or signal a change in direction. Instead, it followed a process that’s deeply embedded in how the company operates.
A Planned Transition at Nintendo of America
Nintendo doesn't treat executive succession as a response to market pressure or public perception. Leadership transitions are discussed and planned years in advance, with clear expectations around timing, responsibilities, and continuity. Presidents and senior executives are expected to maintain succession plans that are understood internally and approved by Nintendo’s global leadership in Japan.
This approach sets Nintendo apart from many Western companies, where leadership changes often coincide with reinvention narratives or strategic pivots. At Nintendo, continuity is treated as a responsibility. The goal isn’t to surprise people or signal a new direction. It’s to ensure stability, especially during moments when the company is preparing for its next phase.
Former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang have also discussed Nintendo’s long-term approach to leadership transitions, offering additional context in their recent video on the subject.
That mindset helps explain why this transition feels calm rather than disruptive. Nintendo isn’t changing course. It’s following one it’s already committed to, with leadership that understands how the company prefers to operate.
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| Doug Bowser’s departure marked a planned leadership transition rather than a sudden change at Nintendo of America. |
Devon Pritchard’s Path Through Nintendo of America
Devon Pritchard is not stepping into this role as a late-career wildcard or a symbolic appointment. She joined Nintendo of America in 2006, initially leading the company’s legal department during a period of executive transition that included the handoff from Tatsumi Kimishima to Reggie Fils-Aimé.
Over time, her responsibilities expanded well beyond legal work. Pritchard moved into leadership roles across business affairs, publisher relations, sales, and marketing, steadily broadening her understanding of how Nintendo of America operates at every level. In 2021, she became Executive Vice President of Revenue, Marketing, and Consumer Experience, placing her at the centre of Nintendo’s North American business during the latter half of the Nintendo Switch era.
That progression follows a familiar internal pattern. Historically, Nintendo of America presidents have come from marketing, finance, or legal backgrounds rather than from product development or public-facing roles. Reggie Fils-Aimé and Doug Bowser both followed similar paths, as did earlier leaders before them. If Nintendo is identifying future presidents, it looks inward and prioritizes people who understand how the business actually functions.
Pritchard’s career reflects that philosophy. Her experience isn’t about visibility or personality. It’s about coordination, execution, and long-term planning. Those traits align closely with how Nintendo expects its regional leadership to operate.
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| Devon Pritchard’s promotion follows nearly two decades of leadership inside Nintendo of America. |
Why Nintendo Promoted From Within
Nintendo almost never looks outside its own walls when filling top leadership roles, especially at the president level. Internal promotions are the norm, and they typically reflect long-term confidence rather than short-term necessity. This isn’t about comfort or tradition alone. It’s about reducing risk.
External leadership hires, particularly at senior levels, often struggle to adapt to Nintendo’s internal rhythm, long product cycles, and close coordination with Japan. Leaders who arrive with imported playbooks or expectations about how Nintendo “should” operate tend not to last.
Promoting Pritchard avoids that risk entirely. She already understands how decisions flow between North America and Japan. She understands Nintendo’s timelines, approval processes, and internal culture. Most importantly, she understands that the role of President isn’t about imposing a personal vision on the company.
Instead, the job is about execution, alignment, and continuity. Nintendo’s regional leadership exists to support a global strategy shaped primarily in Japan, not to redefine it. That distinction matters, especially as the company prepares for a new hardware era.
By promoting from within, Nintendo reinforces its preference for stability over disruption. This isn’t a company chasing reinvention narratives. It’s a company protecting what already works while ensuring experienced leadership is in place for the long term.
Continuity Into Nintendo’s Next Phase
For anyone expecting a return to the Reggie Fils-Aimé era of highly visible Nintendo of America presidents, that’s unlikely. Nintendo no longer treats the NOA President as a public-facing personality, and there’s no indication that approach is changing. Devon Pritchard is not being positioned as the face of Nintendo. She’s being positioned as an operator.
That doesn’t mean she lacks connection to Nintendo’s games or identity. People who’ve worked closely with her describe someone who understands Nintendo deeply, has strong instincts about the industry, and views Nintendo’s products through both a business lens and a family lens as a parent. Externally, the goal is for this transition to feel seamless. If most players don’t notice a difference, that’s the intended outcome.
Doug Bowser’s time leading Nintendo of America was about keeping things on track rather than changing direction. He guided the company through the peak and gradual settling of the Nintendo Switch era, navigated pandemic-era disruption, and oversaw one of the most commercially successful periods in the company’s history.
Pritchard’s promotion reflects confidence in that approach. Nintendo is entering its next hardware era from a position of strength. The Switch era is mature. The company is stable. The broader organization feels settled. This is exactly when Nintendo prefers to make leadership transitions.
If the coming years feel smooth, this decision will likely be part of the reason.
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