Nintendo loses its top U.S. sales and marketing exec

Nintendo of America said today that its top sales and marketing executive will leave the company to accept a position outside of the video game industry.

Cammie Dunaway, a former Yahoo executive, joined Nintendo’s U.S. division in November, 2007, replacing Reggie Fils-Aime, who is now the U.S. division’s president and chief operating officer. During Dunaway’s tenure, Nintendo rode the success of its Wii game console and the Nintendo DS portable to the No. 1 position in video game hardware.

Dunaway’s departure is effective Oct. 1. The timing is interesting. Wii sales have fallen to their all-time low in the U.S. In August, Nintendo’s Wii sales in the U.S. were the lowest results for an August since the launch in 2006, according to market researcher NPD Group. Dunaway gave a lot of interviews and presided over a number of Nintendo launch events alongside Fils-Aime and other executives. She was one of the company’s most recognized executives.