Back before Bowser (Doug Bowser, not the nefarious Koopa) took the reins of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé stole the hearts of Nintendo and video game fans alike across the globe. As President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie spent over ten years spearheading innovation and fun at the beloved company before his retirement earlier this year. Since then, Reggie has joined the Board of Directors of the New York Videogame Critics Circle and has recently accepted the Walter Day Life Time Achievement Award from the International Video Game Hall of Fame.
When Reggie was nominated for the award back in August, the IVGHOF cited his role in the revitalization of Nintendo as a major player in the console wars. The organization also noted his explosion as a celebrity within the video game world after his legendary appearance at Nintendo’s 2004 E3 press conference. Reggie recently accepted the award during the induction ceremony this past weekend. As always, his acceptance speech was heartfelt and gracious, expressing thanks to both the organization as well as the fans.
Reggie now joins the ranks of other big-name recipients of the award, Steve Wozniak, David Crane, and David Bishop, all of whom he mentions in his acceptance speech. “Like you, I have passion for video games, and I was a fan before I was ever an employee of Nintendo. And I think that knowledge of video games, I think the knowledge of all of these great franchises, the ability to poke fun of myself to create all of those wonderful memes, I think that is what endeared me with the community, and I do believe that the love of the community is a large part of why I’m able to receive this award,” said Reggie. He also gave a special shoutout to Isaiah Triforce Johnson, who had kind words for Reggie earlier in the ceremony, and was a major proponent for the award going to the former Nintendo boss.
You can watch Reggie’s full acceptance speech below, and you can check out full list of this year’s inductees on the IVGHOF website.