The San Jose Mercury News has reported that Nintendo plans on building a new office in Silicon Valley. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has announced that the Redmond, Wash.-based video-game company is moving about 55 key jobs to a new office in Silicon Valley.

In an exclusive interview with the Mercury News, Fils-Aime said continued success for Nintendo hinges on having its most forward-looking personnel in the valley, where "the heat and the action is going on around new forms of entertainment."

Fils-Aime said a sales and marketing staff will launch an office somewhere in the "Redwood City, Menlo Park, San Carlos" area at the end of September. Another roughly 25 employees will open a similar office in midtown Manhattan at the same time. The timing of the initiative is closely connected to the company's success with the innovative Wii console and the handheld DS game device. Although the move may disrupt some of Nintendo's momentum through the loss of executives who are unwilling to relocate, "it's much easier to do this right now when we certainly have the wind at our back," noted Fils-Aime.

The Reggienator did not deny nor confirm news about the resignation of some key Nintendo officials instead saying: "All of those reports are speculation and rumors," He also added that moving the sales and marketing team from Redmond to the Bay Area and New York would result in many departures and that an estimated 60 percent of the staff will need to be replaced.

source