Nintendo’s Directs will continue now that Kimishimi is at the helm

He’s served in such roles as Representative Director of The Pokémon Company, Director and Chairman of Nintendo of America (until until Reggie Fils-Aime succeeded him in 2006). Prior to joining the Pokémon Company, Kimishima was general manager at the Sanwa Bank, now part of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. His name might not be recognizable off-hand, but Kimishima has held a number of roles and responsibilities at the company and the video game world.

Five more directors will assume additional roles, two of which are the newly established title of fellow.

The NX will be an entirely “new concept” according to Nintendo, and a lot lies on the shoulders of Tatsumi Kimishima before its release.

Nintendo has promoted Tatsumi Kimishima, 65, to the position of company president. His time overseeing an global side of Nintendo’s business could lead to new, more worldwide focus for the company under his governance. He then served for a while as director and CEO of Nintendo of America Inc. starting in May 2006.

Kimishima may be an unknown to Nintendo fans, which in this case is relevant because Iwata was known for his personal relationship with Nintendo’s audience. They also announced new roles for Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto, as Technology Fellow and Creative Fellow respectively. The unlikely promotion of Kimishima, who was formerly the company’s head of human resources, follows the death of Satoru Iwata, who passed away in July aged just 55.

Nintendo has long resisted the explosive popularity of the mobile games market, leaning instead on the runaway success of its DS and 3DS handhelds. Earlier this year, Nintendo reached a deal with games company DeNA to create games featuring Mario, Link and other popular characters for smartphones and tablets.