CEO Nintendo leaves now Switch console is a success

Nintendo will have a new CEO on June 28. The game company is replacing its current director, 68-year-old Tatsumi Kimishima, for 46-year-old Shuntaro Furukawa. Nintendo had wanted to rejuvenate the board for some time, but waited for a moment when sales were going well.

In addition to the new CEO, Nintendo is also replacing other top people, according to the company’s report. The notification doesn’t give a reason for the departure, but Nikkei says Kimishima has waited for the company to get better so that a new CEO starts at a time when it’s not difficult. That moment has now come, as Nintendo sees profits grow strongly thanks to the Switch console.

Kimishima has been at the helm of Nintendo for three years. He took charge after the death of then director Iwata in 2015. His main achievement under his leadership was the release of the Switch. Since it came out in March last year, Nintendo has shipped 17.8 million of them. In recent months, deliveries were at 2.9 million.

Nintendo also released its annual figures. The company doubled its turnover last year compared to the year before. The turnover amounted to more than one trillion Japanese yen, currently approximately 7.9 billion euros. The annual profit quadrupled to 177 billion yen, about 1.3 billion euros.