Reggie Fils-Aimé Reflects on Early Challenge with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Shortages: “I Made Sure It Never Happened Again”

Reggie Fils-Aimé, the former president of Nintendo of America, recently shared a memorable experience from his first week on the job, which involved a significant shortage of Pokémon games.

Fils-Aimé became a beloved figure among Nintendo fans, even earning the @Reggie handle on Twitter due to his iconic status. He joined Nintendo in late 2003 as the executive vice president of sales and marketing, quickly becoming a recognizable face at E3 2004 and a source of memes. However, his initial week at Nintendo was anything but smooth.

At the New York Game Awards, where Devon Pritchard made her debut as the new president of Nintendo of America, the Pokémon franchise was honored with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award. Fils-Aimé, who hosted the event, reflected on his early days at Nintendo, saying, “I had a long history with Pokémon when I was at Nintendo.”

He recounted, “I had just joined the company and was there for only about a week when I had to work with our retail partners because they literally did not have enough copies of Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire for the Christmas rush. They were a little upset.” He noted that he learned from that experience, stating, “And believe me, I never let that happen ever again.”

Despite the rocky start, Fils-Aimé expressed his fondness for the franchise, saying, “I always enjoyed working with The Pokémon Company, and I love all the games.” He also mentioned that the “Pokémon Plus controller with the Mew inside” is “one of my favorites.”