Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé has been chosen as the winner of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award, which he will receive at the New York Game Awards in January. Fils-Aimé served as Nintendo of America’s president for 13 years before retiring from Nintendo this year, in April.

Fils-Aimé began his time at Nintendo of America as its Executive Vice president of Sales and Marketing in 2003, moving to his role as president in 2006. In his time as president, he gained many fans with his signature, semi-robotic delivery and self-aware humor, which led to many memorable Fils-Aimé moments. His most famous is his heavily memed “my body is ready” quote, said during an onstage Wii Fit presentation during E3 2004, but he’s been a part of several other funny Nintendo moments, like the Fils-A-Mech skit video (in which he plays a mechanical version of himself that seemingly kills someone with laser vision). Following his retirement, Fils-Aimé created a personal Twitter account that has gained more than 450,000 followers.

The New York Videogame Critics Circle announced Fils-Aimé’s selection in a blog post today. According to the Critics Circle, the Legend Award is given to those who have “a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional achievement and innovation.” The award is named for founding Critics Circle member Andrew Yoon, and past recipients of the award include Todd Howard and Rockstar Games. Fils-Aimé told the Critics Circle he was honored to be recognized and said the Critics Circle inspires him to give back to the community.

In fact, that’s exactly what he’s been doing since his retirement from Nintendo. In September, Fils-Aimé joined the Critics Circle as a member of its board of directors, bringing his experiences both from being Nintendo of America president and from growing up in the Bronx to bring games and scholarships to underserved communities. He has also been active in other ways since retiring, as Fils-Aimé announced a Cornell University teaching gig on his Twitter that same month.

Before being recognized by the New York Videogame Critics Circle, Fils-Aimé was inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame, awarded the organization’s Walter Daily Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Clearly, Nintendo of America’s new president had big shoes to fill. When Reggie Fils-Aimé retired, Nintendo of America announced that Doug Bowser, who was hired as Vice President of Sales in 2015, would be taking over as president of the company. He’s since appeared in several Nintendo Direct presentations, breaking the ice with lots of references to the obvious Bowser jokes.

Next: Nintendo Switch Lite Review: The Best Handheld Gaming Experience Around

Source: New York Videogame Critics Circle