Screenshot 2019 02 22 At 14.19.05

It's fair to say that the news that Reggie Fils-Aime – who has been Nintendo of America president since 2006 and joined the company itself in 2003 – would be retiring in April caught plenty of people off-guard.

He's certainly one of the industry's most recognisable characters and his willingness to get in front of camera and laugh at himself has endeared him to millions of gamers, not just Nintendo fans.

Reggie's popularity is evidenced by the fact that the news has been followed by a flood of positive and supportive comments for the big man – most notably from his rivals at Sony and Microsoft.

Mike Ybarra – Corporate Vice President at Xbox – also had something to say about the news:

Reggie famously appeared on-stage with both Spencer and Layden at the 2018 Game Awards, and host Geoff Keighley added his voice: