GameStop announced that former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé has joined its Board of Directors alongside two more signees. His acceptance into the retail chain company is part of a reshuffle meant to bring about a turnaround from financial turmoil.
1up for GameStop
Reggie Fils-Aimé is joined by PetSmart CEO J.K. Symancyk and Walmart retail executive, Bill Simon, to lend their "expertise and perspectives" to the company moving forward. “We are pleased to welcome Reggie, Bill, and J.K. to the board,” says Sherman. “They are each highly qualified and bring significant, relevant experience to our turnaround.”
Fils-Aimé's track record with Nintendo speaks for itself and him alone could ensure that GameStop could see a huge turnaround moving forward.
As the president of Nintendo, he steered his company across successful several hardware launches that include the Nintendo DS, Wii, 3DS, and Switch. The Wii U, unfortunately, marks his one significant failure and isn't even mentioned. Prior to Nintendo, Fils-Aimé's service to VH1, Pizza Hut, Procter & Gamble were also highlighted.
Reggie's body is ready
Reggie Fils-Aimé shared his thoughts about the transition via a tweet, stating, "The gaming industry needs a healthy and vibrant @GameStop. I look forward to being a part of @gamestopcorp Board and helping to make this happen."
The gaming industry needs a healthy and vibrant @GameStop. I look forward to being a part of @GameStopCorp Board and helping to make this happen. https://t.co/pYWFGZ9XKj
— Reggie Fils-Aime (@Reggie) March 9, 2020
Last month, Fils-Aimé announced his departure from his role as the COO and President of Nintendo of America; a career that culminating in 15 years of service.
He has since been succeeded by the company's SVP of sales and marketing, Doug Bowser. In between his transition from Nintendo to GameStop, Fils-Aimé was currently situated in a teaching role at Cornell University.
The move to rescue GameStop
GameStop, the video game retail chain has seen better days. Once standing tall as a retail giant, the company has been closing many doors in many locations throughout the US following massive losses fiscally.
The growing situation is the result of a shifting industry that embraces the online distribution of Video Games through digital downloads and streaming.
GameStop has also come under fire from both consumers and employees over its controversial 'Circle of Life 'program. The concept with this program is to perpetuate second sales of video games by ensuring consumers buy said games, then trade them in for credit to be put forward for future transactions.
Fairly recently, GameStop began to track the performance of employees in this program using a scoring system throughout the chain. Although the program is something the retail company has been doing for years, the scoring system was what struck a nerve with employees as the low scores were being used to justify releasing them from employment.