Nintendo of America will advance to the next level with a leadership change after its president and chief operating officer, Doug Bowser, retires at the end of the year.

Nintendo of America, the Redmond, Washington-based subsidiary of Japanese video game company Nintendo, will promote two insiders to take the helm. Satoru Shibata will be CEO, and Devon Pritchard will become president and COO, according to a September news release.

Shibata is taking on the CEO role at Nintendo of America on top of his other positions, including managing executive officer at the Japanese parent company. The American subsidiary doesn't currently have a CEO, though Nintendo is headed by Shuntaro Furukawa.

Pritchard, who is currently the executive vice president of revenue, marketing and consumer experience at Nintendo of America, isn't a new player in the game: She's spent about two decades at the video game giant.

Pritchard will be its fifth president — and the first woman in the role.

Nintendo of America is one of Redmond's largest employers, with the city government listing it as No. 6 behind Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and other businesses. In 2023, Nintendo employed between 1,000 and 2,000 workers there, according to city records.

A spokesperson for Nintendo of America declined to confirm how many people the company employs in the region.

Pritchard's promotion includes a spot on Nintendo of America's board of directors and a position as a Nintendo executive officer.

I am humbled and excited to take on this new role," Pritchard said in a statement. "Doug has been a fantastic mentor, and I look forward to building on the incredible foundation he has helped establish."

Pritchard has roots in Washington state: She claims Enumclaw as her hometown and earned a law degree from Spokane's Gonzaga University, according to a 2021 profile in the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Her predecessor, Bowser — not to be confused with the Nintendo character of the same name — joined the parent company in 2015 and climbed the ranks, holding various leadership positions over his 10-year tenure.

He oversaw the launches of the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 in the Americas. The second-generation gaming console is considered "the best-selling video game console of all time in its initial sales period," according to the news release.

"Leading Nintendo of America has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am proud of what our team has accomplished in both business results and the experiences we’ve created for consumers," Bowser said in a statement. "Now, it’s time for the next generation of leadership and Devon’s track record speaks for itself.

Nintendo, established in 1889, has sold more than 5.9 billion video games and over 860 million hardware units around the world, the company said.

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