Reggie Fils-Aimé interview for his new book, Disrupting the Game

Reggie Fils-Aimé went out on top. In 2019, Reggie Fils-Aime, who was the ex-president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, retired. He arrived at Nintendo when the GameCube was facing serious challenges from Microsoft and Sony, and left as the Nintendo Switch handheld/console hybrid was on its way to becoming the company’s best-selling console of all time.

Fils Aime is ready to do a second part. His autobiography Disrupting the game: From Bronx to Top of NintendoThe May 3rd edition of ‘The Story of My Life’ is not a play by play of the console and game launches that he oversaw, but rather a comprehensive account of my life as a leader or businessman. His childhood in Haiti, as a child of Haitian immigrants and his upbringing on Long Island are covered. It includes each of the steps in his career that shaped him, with stints at Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut, Panda Express, VH1, and others, as well as the more impactful moments from his time at Nintendo.

Polygon caught up with Fils-Aimé a few weeks ago to talk about the book, highlights from his career, and who he hopes reads The Game is Being Disrupted

The interview was edited to ensure clarity and content.

Polygon: The book may disappoint some people, but there are likely many who would like to see behind-the scenes anecdotes about Nintendo. There are some, but it’s not a tell-all. It’s hard to imagine who you hoped would see it.

Reggie Fils-Aimé: So, in writing the book, I recognized there’s this group of Nintendo fans that, for them, the perfect book would have been telling all of these stories about Nintendo products, and how we got there, and kind of bringing them into the room of all of these discussions and all of these activities. For me, this would have not been satisfying. Because I’m trying to share principles and lessons that anyone — whether you’re a fan or not, whether you’re an executive or not, wherever you are in your own journey, my hope is that I will — I will have shared some lessons and some principles that you can apply moving forward. And that’s why the book is constructed the way it is. That’s why, you know, this concept of the So What [a section at the end of each chapter where Fils-Aimé breaks down key takeaways for the reader from his experiences]These lessons were the inspiration for my creation. So on one hand, I hope that Nintendo fans aren’t disappointed that it’s not just a Nintendo tell-all. That’s not what it is. You can learn from my experience and apply the lessons to your own circumstances.

Which book do you hope will bring the most joy? Is there a dream conversation you would have with someone reading it?

To me, the dream interaction would be meeting up with someone five years from now, who themselves are successful in whatever it is that they’re doing, whether it’s business, it’s life, whatever it is. I would love five years from now to have an interaction where someone says, “Hey, Reggie, I picked up your book. You know what, those insights were really helpful in my personal life. And I want to thank you.” I mean, to have that interaction with an individual, some number of individuals in the future would be just so meaningful to me.

Many of your points in the book referred to communication and the skills you used to improve them. Your career started at Procter & Gamble, and you talk in the book about these memos you had to write, which, to me, just felt like such a different type of work environment than anything that we would experience now.

It really was, I mean, it was such a moment in time, you know, early ’80s, you did not have your own personal computer. The way these memos were being created, was that I would be recording into a personal recorder, a microphone, I’d be essentially dictating a memo that would go to the the administrative person that supported the business unit, a brand, typically, it would get typed up then returned to you. There would then be some editing on paper. That’s how the perfect P&G memo was created.

Each of us took turns sitting in cubicles. I could see that there would be two to three people sitting around me. You have no right to privacy. I guess one could argue, maybe, that that’s something that’s come back in terms of open, bullpen type of offices. However, it was another time. It was an age. One of the points I make in my book is the importance of a culture. The P&G culture really was paper-based on these perfect memos. It was necessary to develop the skills to write business reports that were highly effective. Chelsea, it is clear to me that this experience helped shape my mind and improve how my brain functions today.

There, I started my career at Pizza Hut, and PepsiCo. Their culture revolved around stand-up presentations. That’s how we moved ideas forward. It was great to learn how to become a business writer and how to communicate effectively verbally. At Nintendo, these two skills were combined, so I learned nonverbal communication. And that’s because the business would be done through sequential translation. Mr. [Satoru]Iwata will say something in Japanese that can be translated into English. This was when we were together in group settings. If it were just the two of us, we’d be speaking English, but then a large group session, it’s spoken in Japanese, from Japanese to English. I respond in English, and then it’s translated back into Japanese. So what did I do? I looked at the Japanese speaker to try and gather as much information possible. Is it smiling? Are they smiling? Do they seem excited or not? You know, just what’s going on? The Japanese-to English translation wouldn’t have any emotion. The words would suffice. Nintendo taught me the importance of nonverbal communication.

Your prediction of the question that I would ask you was the way you learn to work around the language barrier. That also meant that you needed to improve your nonverbal communication abilities.

Absolutely. Early in my time at Nintendo I asked the question, “Should I learn Japanese?” And I was given the counsel, “Look, Reggie, we need you to focus on other things. It is very difficult for the business to survive. You’re bringing commercial knowledge from sales and marketing and advertising, that is just so critical for us. That’s where we need you to focus. And we’ll figure out the communication in a different way.”

So, as you can see, many key executives speak English well, some even exceptionally so. However, I didn’t learn Japanese. It meant that any large-group meetings had to be in sequential translation. It forced me to think carefully about my verbal communications. It’s amazing how we can have so many idioms and so many slang phrases. [that]It was clear that we had to eliminate all the unnecessary details. So it’s certainly something I had to be aware of in all of these communications. I was able to do that regardless of whether simultaneous or sequential translations were occurring. I could also do this if I was with Mr. Iwata, Mr. [Shigeru]Miyamoto understood English and could speak some English. I’d need to communicate the same way and use language they understand.

How did presenting English in a way that would make it understandable change your thinking and speaking style? Did you switch depending on what the situation was?

I would say that I’ve always been clear, direct, some would say too direct. But I’ve always been clear. And I’ve always framed my communication in terms of, What’s our objective? What is our goal? We need to figure out how we will do it.What is the best way to build consensus on an idea? If we can’t get to consensus, and if I have to be the decision-maker. I’ll make the decision. And I’ll share how I got to the decision that we’re taking. This is why clarity, directness and simplicity are all things we have.

In fact, this is what I wrote about in the book. I was given counsel by Mr. Iwata that, because I was so clear, direct — he used the word “powerful” — that I needed to make sure I was hearing all of the various points of view. My bias is to make a quick decision. My biases are to be the first person to discuss. My bias is pushing things forward. And his counsel to me was, “Reggie, you need to make sure you are listening to all of those around you. Everybody wants to please, even NCL personnel. [Nintendo Co. Ltd, the commonly used abbreviation for Nintendo’s Kyoto, Japan headquarters], and you need to make sure you’re being fully thoughtful in what it is that you’re recommending.”

It is wise counsel and gracious. You are set up for success by him.

Absolutely. It was the relationship any leader wants with his boss and mentor. It was not an easy conversation. I mean, let’s be clear. It wasn’t always sunshine and roses. There was a profound level of understanding and respect for the other person. And again, as I highlighted the book, we didn’t always agree. Sometimes we need to go back and reassess a decision. I was set up for success by him. I don’t know if I could have been Nintendo for 16 years without the help of Mr. Iwata.

You were described as being determined and assertive. Is it possible to feel self-assured? [to make] decisions quickly?

It’s something that I grew into, if you will, over my 20 years prior to Nintendo. At Nintendo I found myself in situations that required me to exercise control over my life, make decisions and live with the results of those choices, both good and bad. That history is what I brought with me to Nintendo. Lucky for Nintendo, I also brought my experience as a gamer. I remember playing video games as a teenager. When I was in my 20s I stopped playing video games. It was more about life, having children and trying to find a job. Then, in the 1990s I got back into gaming. It was a mix of SNES, PS2 and Xbox games that I loved. As a result, I brought the knowledge and orientation of a gamer to the company. This was incredibly valuable. Combining business knowledge and industry experience gave me the confidence to propose ideas. The best part was that I got the idea to work. I think if some of my early ideas hadn’t worked, again, maybe we wouldn’t be having this conversation today. It was a blessing to have early victories and built momentum.

I think that your knowledge and understanding about the franchises helped you get buy-in from Mr. Miyamoto. It also gave you that authenticity when approaching to make recommendations, especially when it came to suggesting. Wii SportsBe a pack in title for the Wii.

The broad knowledge of our franchises, the knowledge of our history, you bring up, you know, the the pack-in software concept, you know, the fact that as I’m trying to sell the concept of packing in Wii Sports in order to being able to say, “Look, Mr. Iwata, Mr. Miyamoto, I know we’ve done this before. Since I purchased my Super Nintendo Entertainment System from you with the bundle of Super Mario World. So I know you’ve done it, and you understand the benefit. And so here’s my rationale. And here’s why I think this makes sense.”

The book had something I was curious about. It’s very common to talk about your family and how you grew up in Bronx. And then I noticed that you weave in small threads about being a Black man, but it’s rarely a prominent theme. Some of what really stuck out to me is the very small anecdote you gave about your first E3, and while waiting for Nintendo’s press conference to start, someone mistaking you for security. You seem to be able let any uncomfortable encounter where someone made an assumption about your race slip off your back. That is something I would like to know more. It is obvious that growing up with Black American parents and immigrant grandparents will have a profound impact on your professional growth.

This is just a bit of history, particularly since my family relocated from Long Island to Bronx. It was obvious to me, in that setting, that I was not like everyone else. You know, there’s not a lot of Black faces where I went to elementary school, junior high, and then high school. There weren’t many Black students in honors classes that I took. And so on one hand, you learn to accept that you’re different.

But, you know, there were many situations where I couldn’t let it roll off my back. And I’ll share a specific story that’s not in the book. I was a young brand manager at P&G. And the brand manager level is the first level where you’re managing people, And you are the one primarily responsible for key initiatives for the particular brand that you’re working on. Sun Drop was a competitor to Mountain Dew. They are strong in northern Florida and the Carolinas. Tennessee is the largest part of the country. It sells just as well in these territories as Pepsi and Coke. So it’s a dominant business in those areas.

This is my first encounter with the sales team for the brand. The strength of this brand was found in the South so the representatives were drawn from these same parts. And for one sales manager, I’m sure this was the first time he’s having to deal with a Black man in a responsibility situation. This was not something he could handle. And we’re at a cocktail party. And this was a very big man, 6’5”, 6’6”, 300-plus pounds. And he’s had a few too many cocktails. And he swaggers over to me and says, “Reggie, I don’t care that they made you the brand manager. I don’t care. I’m not listening to you. I’m not supporting any of the ideas you put forward. You’re not the brand manager to me.”

I’m 25, 26 years old, something like that. All this happens in front of 30-40 people. And I made the decision then and there to turn to this person and say, “You may not believe I’m the brand manager, but I am. It is my business. And so either you’re going to support me and the initiatives I put forward, or you’re no longer going to be on this business, period.”

Now, never mind I didn’t have any authority to fire him, or move him off the business, right, because he’s in the sales function, mine is kind of the marketing function. It was an issue that I could not ignore. I couldn’t slink away. That was why I needed to be very clear.

He leaves. I am greeted by his boss the following morning. By the time I get back to Cincinnati, where we’re headquartered, people are coming to me telling me that I handled the situation the right way, and they were proud of me, etc., etc. You know that we all have to deal with these kinds of situations. The book teaches that either you become tougher or you fade away. These situations are not easy to handle. But there are situations where it can’t just roll off your back.

Thanks for sharing your story. It is amazing that you could react in that manner as a 25 year-old.

Very well controlled. It still shocks me. [laughs]It was a very early stage of my tenure, I must admit. But these are all tidbits of learning that I’ve been fortunate to have in this wonderful journey.

My impression is that your interaction with the public, both as an executive and later as the COO, was unique. The memes you created, the catchphrases you used, and your humanity became very tangible to your fans. What was the evolution of this? Is there an intentional choice to learn from it?

The Reggie in the office, the Reggie with Mr. Iwata, Mr. Miyamoto, the Reggie at E3, the Reggie with fans, the Reggie with journalists, it’s all the same Reggie. It’s not versions or flavors thereof. It was a difficult time for the company when I attended my first E3. Xbox was launched in the same year that GameCube. Xbox did slightly better in the United States than GameCube. You know, at the time, Microsoft really didn’t yet have a strong business in Europe, and wasn’t existent in Asia. What about the U.S.? Our position was third. My joining coincided with Sony’s announcement at E3 of their intention to enter the handheld market with the PlayStation Portable. Nintendo stocks were also given a 10% cut. This was an extremely difficult situation in which we found ourselves. Our handheld business is about to get undercut.

Yet, I was able to see the prototype of the Nintendo DS early on and witness the hard work being put into the final product. Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. I was persuaded by Mr. Iwata, Mr. Miyamoto and that they had excellent plans to take the business forward. So, the E3 was the conscious decision to bring out an aggressiveness and directness to the market. It was also a change of formula to how the business was going to be marketed. And it all came out of our products. Let’s be clear, if we didn’t have the products, it would have been all smoke and mirrors. It was born out of my aggressiveness and passion for the company, as well as my drive to move it forward. It was evident that the fans loved it. It was evident to our employees. We were able to create excitement in our employees as we continued driving the business forward.

So it’s, it’s all the same, it’s all the same person, it’s all the same desire to win out in the marketplace. Many of these memes were fortunate turns of phrase. When you’re doing hours and hours of rehearsals, you practice different things. And, you know, “My body is ready” was a line that I used in the rehearsal with Mr. Miyamoto for the Wii Fit demo in 2007. Before I started, I had tried several lines. One of them made my friend laugh, so I used it live. You see, many memes came from lucky times in life.

Now that you’re on this new chapter, is there anything you’ll miss from your time at Nintendo?

The biggest thing I miss is that today, I’m like any other fan. And what I mean by that is, all of the initiatives and products that were in the pipeline — not all of them, the vast majority of them — have reached the marketplace at this point. So I wait like every other Nintendo fan to see the next big thing. It’s what I miss most about being inside the company and helping to shape these ideas. That is what I really miss. But the flip side is, you know, I’m like the fan I was 20 years ago. The best part is that I have the ability to speculate about the whole industry. I’m now an investor in the space, if you will, with the SPAC that that I have, where we’re looking to acquire a private company in the broad digital entertainment space, and in doing so, help it reach the public markets. So today gives me an opportunity to look at all the different things that are going on and to figure out the opportunities; that’s the good side. Yet, it is hard to miss working for one company. One company has a long history of innovating the sector.