Doug Bowser
| Name | Doug Bowser |
| Birth Name | Doug Spencer Bowser |
| Image | .jpg) |
| Caption | Bowser in 2025 |
| Birth Place | New York, U.S. |
| Alma Mater | University of Utah (BA) |
| Office | 4th President of Nintendo of America |
| Term Start | April 15, 2019 |
| Term End | December 31, 2025 |
| Predecessor | Reggie Fils-Aimé |
| Blank1 | Employer |
| Data1 | Procter & Gamble (1984–2007) Electronic Arts (2007–2015) Nintendo (2015–2025) Hasbro (2026–present) |
| Signature |  |
| Succeeded | Devon Pritchard |
Doug Spencer Bowser is an American businessman, and former president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, the North American branch of the Japanese video game company Nintendo, from 2019 to 2025.
Early career
Doug Spencer Bowser was born in Upstate New York. Bowser graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1984, going on to work at Procter & Gamble from 1984 to 2007, which included serving as the director of customer marketing for the Latin American region from 1998 to 2004, and the company's Safeway customer team from 2004 to 2007. Bowser worked at Electronic Arts from 2007 through 2015, serving as vice president of global demand planning.
Nintendo
Bowser joined Nintendo of America in 2015 as the vice president of sales and marketing, and was promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing in mid-2016, where he oversaw the promotion and release of the Nintendo Switch within North America.
In February 2019, Nintendo of America's president and chief operating officer Reggie Fils-Aimé announced his retirement, and Bowser was named as his successor as the company's president in April 2019. In addition to these duties, Bowser represents Nintendo for the Entertainment Software Association.
Bowser coincidentally shares his surname with the main antagonist of the Mario franchise, Bowser. This drew interest when he was first hired by Nintendo, and was the subject of further humorous reactions online upon his promotion to president. The BBC referred to the case as "one of the most charming cases of nominative determinism ever". Nintendo jokingly referenced the name similarity during their E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation. Bowser said he had no issues when such jokes are made, stating "It's a signal to me that we have an amazing, passionate following, and our fans are embracing it. It's ironic that we share the same name, and there are times when it'll be fun and we'll play with it, but we're two very, very different characters. I'm not tired of it at all though."
Bowser stepped down as president of Nintendo of America on December 31, 2025, and was succeeded by executive vice president of revenue, marketing and consumer experience and NOA leadership team member Devon Pritchard.
Post-Nintendo
In January 20, 2026, Bowser joined Hasbro as part of its board of directors.
References
- 1542711826411974656, thetruebowser, Wow. Both ends of the spectrum! How about Spencer?, Doug Bowser
- Why Humanities with Doug Bowser, August 12, 2020, University of Utah College of Humanities, 2:21, "I was born and raised in upstate New York,", YouTube
- Picks from 'King Koopa' – The University of Utah Magazine, 2020-06-28, en-US
- P&G veteran tapped as president of Nintendo of America, Barrett J., Brunsman, February 22, 2019, April 7, 2020, American City Business Journals
- Doug Bowser: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Farrell, Paul, 2019-02-21, Heavy.com, en, 2019-05-04
- Doug Bowser, LinkedIn
- Nintendo of America's Doug Bowser to Take Over as President, Gremlich, Krista, February 21, 2019, Bloomberg
- Bowser takes over at Nintendo in US after Fils-Aime's 13-year reign, MacDonald, Keza, 2019-02-21, The Guardian, 2019-02-24, en-GB, 0261-3077
- Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime to Retire: Doug Bowser Named New President, February 21, 2019, Business Wire, en, February 22, 2019
- Missing Sony, E3 Moves Ahead Without One of Its Biggest Backers, Patrick, Shanley, January 17, 2020, April 7, 2020, The Hollywood Reporter
- Nintendo hires Bowser. Really, Alex, Hern, May 21, 2016, April 7, 2020, The Guardian
- Nintendo of America's new president is named Bowser, and everyone is making the same jokes, Webb, Kevin, Business Insider, February 22, 2019
- The Internet Reacts To Bowser Taking Over Nintendo, Grayson, Nathan, Kotaku, February 21, 2019, en-US, February 22, 2019
- Bowser takes over at Nintendo of America, Lee, Dave, February 21, 2019, BBC, February 22, 2019, en-GB
- Good, Owen S., At E3, Nintendo riffs on Doug Bowser's name in the best way, Polygon, Vox Media, 2019-06-11, 2019-06-11, mdy-all
- Nintendo's President on Streaming, 5G Wireless, and E-Sports, Lisa Marie, Segerra, June 18, 2019, April 7, 2020, Fortune
- Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser retires, Bryant, Francis, September 24, 2025, Game Developer, September 25, 2025
- Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser Steps Down, Maas, Jennifer, September 25, 2025, Variety, September 25, 2025
- Robinson, Andy, 2026-01-20, Doug Bowser joins Hasbro’s board, fresh from retiring as Nintendo of America boss, 2026-01-20, VGC, en-US
External links
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Electronic Arts employees
Category:Living people
Category:Nintendo people
Category:University of Utah alumni
Category:American businesspeople in the video game industry
Category:Procter & Gamble people
Category:People from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn