Photo by TENGKU BAHAR/AFP/Getty Images
Even if you’re not caught up on the latest and greatest video games, you’ve probably heard of the NES Classic and SNES Classic. First hitting the scene in 2016, these small sized consoles became quite the phenomenon. Stores sold out repeatedly, scalpers put their stock up on eBay, and parents scrambled to secure them for their children. Even in 2018, these are hot gift items, but that won’t last for long. It seems that this will be the last Christmas for these tiny Nintendos.
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In a conversation with Hollywood Reporter, Nintendo bigshot Reggie Fils-Aimé laid it out in no uncertain terms. The classic consoles “are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they’re gone. And that’s it.” There are no further editions of the small consoles in the works and no love for the Nintendo 64. As for future releases of so-called “legacy content,” Reggie stated that Nintendo Switch’s online service would be the way going forward. “We just released three new games (Ninja Gaiden, Wario’s Woods, and Adventures of Lolo) from the NES generation onto that platform. We look at that as the main way that consumers will be able to experience that legacy content.”
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So, while it would make sense that the big N would want to push consumers towards their newest console, it does make you wonder about the future. Nintendo has had a huge year, and the classic consoles were definitely a part of it. The numbers don’t lie, indicating a bounce back from the lean days of the Wii U.
Nintendo US data:
– Nintendo is top selling US software publisher of 2018
– Nintendo eShop sales have grown 105% over 2017
– Zelda BotW sold over 4 mil
– Super Mario Odyssey sold over 4.7 mil
– Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold over 5 mil
– Hardware units & $ sales highest since 2011 pic.twitter.com/CLaBzPX8Lo— Croc #TearsoftheKingdom Oclock (@CrocOclock) December 18, 2018
With how well games like Smash Ultimate and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu are selling, we’re sure that Nintendo will be fine without these emulation stations. Still, it’s unfortunate that these consoles only got a brief window to be normal products rather than highly sought after collector’s items. If you or a loved one want to experience a blast from the past, then you better go hunt down an NES Classic before Santa gets to it.
