Pokémon USA’s president Akira Chiba announced yesterday that he will be resigning from his position at the end of the year in order to pursue other opportunities. I guess I’d be pretty sick of Pokemon after that long, too. Chiba joined Pokémon USA, Inc in 2002.
Chiba will be replaced by Kenji Okubo, the current executive vice president, on January 1, 2008. Okubo will be in charge of all Pokémon efforts outside of Japan. This includes the Pokémon Trading Card Game, television series and North American and European licensing agreements.
I don’t really care, honestly, but I’m trying to be positive 100% of the time so no one can disagree with me. So, instead, I’ll say “Great job, team.”
“During Mr. Chiba’s tenure, Pokémon USA has greatly expanded,” said Okubo in a statement. “The brand is topping industry charts across all categories — including video games, toys, and trading card games — plus the Pokémon animated TV series is hugely successful on Cartoon Network. We thank Mr. Chiba for his efforts on behalf of Pokémon and wish him success in the future.”
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