Earlier this week it became clear that Nintendo of America's decision to move its sales and marketing department from Redmond, Washington to either New York or San Francisco meant a lot of its current staff would not be able to continue working with the company. This was further exacerbated by the fact that several of Nintendo's key executives, including Senior VP of Marketing and Corporate Communications George Harrison, Senior Director of Public Relations Beth Llewelyn, and finally Marketing and Corporate Affairs VP Perrin Kaplan would all be leaving Nintendo of America... alongside a rumored 90 percent of the sales and marketing staff.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime clarified to Kotaku that the number of employees opting not to move with their department will be closer to 60 percent; still over half the sales and marketing department. Additionally, Fils-Aime did not explicitly confirm whether or not the aforementioned executives, all with years of experience working at Nintendo, are also exiting stage left.

Virtually all of the employees affected by the relocation plan have now responded with their decisions, and approximately four of every ten have agreed to make the move to either New York or the Bay Area, in keeping with our original expectations.

A transition task force of key executives has been formed to ensure the smoothest process possible, and continuous information and resources will be available to all employees. The rest of Nintendo's strong leadership talent will continue to drive our business objectives forward. It has always been the case that Nintendo employees are resilient and rise to any challenge, and there is no doubt in my mind that we will excel as we continue to tackle new challenges and business opportunities.

Nintendo itself can not discuss the relocation status of any individual involved, but for those who will be departing the company, we have every expectation that they will succeed to the highest degree in their future endeavors. We will miss the talent, energy and experience from those who have chosen not to relocate. Our sales and marketing teams have been key components in returning Nintendo to its current position of market leadership.

Reggie Fils-Aime
President, Nintendo of America

Wolfwood via kotaku.com »