The former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé is a relatively tall and well-dressed guy - in fact, at his first E3 with Nintendo someone thought he was a security guard. A member of staff apparently stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Reggie and fumbled about as they tried to show him their ID.
He relived the moment on a recent episode of the Talking Games Podcast:
So I’m there in a two-piece suit with a black t-shirt underneath, standing, looking out onto the crowd, and we had various staff running around, doing things. Everyone had to be badged. They needed to have ID that showed that they were allowed to be where they were. So I’m standing there, gazing out to the crowd, and there was a member of a staff that came close to me, and I turned and looked at them, and literally they just stopped – rigid. He starts fumbling for his ID, and he’s like, he’s showing me his ID, like ‘it’s okay for me to be there.’ This guy thought I was the security guard.
At the time, Reggie had obviously just been appointed as Nintendo's new top executive, so you can imagine how confused this guy must have been when he saw Reggie up on stage later on presenting:
So imagine what’s going through his brain when the conference starts, and the lights go up, and he sees me. I mean, he must be saying to himself, ‘What’s going on with Nintendo that they’ve got the security guard giving the presentation? What is this?’
While Reggie found this to be one of the more humourous moments of his first E3, he says it was that E3 in-particular that helped define him and the company for the years ahead. Not long after this, Reggie gained quite the following and was nicknamed the "Regginator" by fans - which is perhaps even more fitting now that we know this story.
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 29
Tall black man in a suit is the security guard? No: tall Haitian man in a suit is a gaming legend!
They probably thought he came there to kick ass and take names.
Looks more like he was sent by Skynet and dropped the old "i want your suit, your shoes and your sun glasses" to one of the security guards.
What an awsome guy tho, I miss him.
PS. My comment sounded like he had died. He hasnt! 😂
Funny story Reggie is a tall and sturdy built guy. So am I. When I'm near the entrance of clothing stores, waiting for my teen daughters, I get similar looks too. Even when I'm not dressed the part. I even got a lady walk up to me one time, warning me of a "suspicious person".
His body was ready.
This reminds me, what happened with that Bowser guy? He only appeared in that video with the Mario and Luigi plushies.
@bl4ckbl00d He was also on some Nintendo Direct recently with an hilarious gag. But since, well, there was no big event.
"are you a security guard?"
Reggie; "i am, the reginator" ..with the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger (eyes turn red when he removes those glasses) walks on stage "my body is ready"
Knowing that story only makes that E3 presentation even more awesome.
@ReaperExTenebris too true, my friend 😢
He is the guardian of fun
He totally looks like a security guard in that photo.
It's no wonder - the guy was practically designed to take a bullet
He was the Regginator before it became a thing.
He should have rolled with it and escorted those that asked to the exit!
LOL something similar happened to me a couple years ago. I was in Las Vegas for a friend's Bachelor party and we went to some dance night clubs (oh god do I HATE those clubs! Literally my version of a Hell!). I was the best dressed out of all the guys I was with and I'm a typical medium athletic build balled headed Hispanic. Anyways while were at Drai's Nightclub (I prefer death!) I was approached a lot by girls and guys cause they thought I was security. The funnier thing is I was confused as security even when I was holding a beer at one point! LOL what security personnel holds a beer at one of these places.
At least don't was confused with a terminator.
He could be a good option to play a role in it, let's be honests.
yes.... it's because he was "TALL"... A friend of mine was also prohibited to get inside of a club because he was a lawyer, had just got out of work and they said "guy wearing a suit, they'll think you're a security guard so you can't get in" (guess what? Yeah, he was also black)
That staffer's mind and body was not ready.
His body was Reggie, and he made his presence known.
@dux Tall and well-dressed.
@Liam_Doolan He certainly is, just as my friend was as well. That's my point. The guy could only see him as a servent, not as Nintendo of America's president. Which is, sadly, something so ingrained in society that he might not even have done it out of bad faith. And I'm being optimistic here! Anyway, this is a feel god site about a feel good company, sorry to drag the mood down
I can see that moment unfolding. Hilarious lol
Well, Reggie was about “kicking ass and taking names” at his first E3. So who can blame the guy.
@dux In a possible defense of whoever thought Reggie was a security guard, there are certain industries where you imagine the people involved have a certain look. Video games? Skinny geek with messy hair. It reminds me of the first time I saw The Crystal Method (an techno band from the late 90's) interviewed on TV. The host told them they didn't look like a techno band, but more like guys who should be driving truck or working as a mechanic (they were stocky, short hair, balding). They certainly had a very ordinary look compared to the musical peers such as Chemical Brothers, FSOL, and The Prodigy. Of course you could be right, but don't jump too quickly to the worst possible interpretation.
@dux Don't bring race into this.
And why would you look down on security guards as "servants", in that elitest connotation?
The role of security personnel in society is just as important (if not moreso, in some cases) as a lawyer or corporate executive.
"This is the Mother 3 translation. But it's mine now. Take it from me, if you dare!"
I miss Reggie. He was friendly, he covered issues in gaming, he looked out for everyone or just a single fan because he knew that all of us enjoyed this hobby. Unlike Doug Bowser, who continues to ignore the anti-consumer issue with Luigi's Mansion 3 and how Millions cannot play it. I myself have owned it since launch, completely unable to play, and every day I've made my voice heard for him to ignore it and many others. The devs are no better. This wouldn't have happened under Reggie's watch. No one will ever compare to Reggie.
Lol, I can imagine! Doug will never get the same status among Nintendo fans. The reason: Nintendo doesn't do meme-worthy videos/presentations anymore. Maybe its not in his nature, or Nintendo doesn't need it since the Switch is selling itself. The last time Nintendo did something funny/original during a E3 was the Muppet sketch. The show itself was crap, but at least the puppets where cool. But there's of course also Corona: Maybe Doug would have shined this year if there was a Direct!
@Henmii That was all under Iwata's "fun" nintendo corporate culture. And Reggie+Iwata+Miyamoto were this kind of trifecta of fun representing the company (plus Trinen who joined the fun later.) As you say, the muppet sketch was the last thing like that - Iwata's last months at the helm. It seems the new management has gone out of their way to erase that culture and bring Nintendo back to it's 80's/90's position as "just a big corporation" where the staff are staff and messaging is something best done through PR agencies and carefully managed soundbytes. Doug seems like a decent employee. But it's no longer a company about direct outreach to the fans. The company is the company and here's the customer service number and sales portal to reach them. It's sad. I love Nintendo's products, but it's not really fun following Nintendo itself anymore. That was just a short-term experiment by one leader.
@GoblinKing86 What's this Luigi's Mansion 3 issue?
@Kidfunkadelic83 He's on Gamestop's board of directors though, so....
@NEStalgia,
I feel the same way. Even if I didn't always agree with Iwata's decisions, at least there was more fun to be had with the way they delivered things. But I already felt it with the president that served a very short term after Iwata: He never introduced himself, he never did interviews, etc. Same with the current one, they are old-fashioned Nintendo monarchs!
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