Topic: Why doesn’t Nintendo release compilation of their classic games?

Sega for example released multiple versions of Genesis compilation with multiple Genesis games on a disc for multiple consoles. Atari did the same as well. So why doesn’t Nintendo do NES, Super NES, Game Boy, N64 classics volume 1,2,3….that features the best games and they could do it in multiple volumes. Sure there’s the classic games under NSO but Sega has released the game compilations for Genesis and allowed their titles to be on NSO. Sega has milked their Genesis games in so many compilations and it’s strange Nintendo doesn’t do the same with their classic games.

Insert that 'Nintendo hates your money' gif I made years ago but can't be bothered to find on my PC here.

You said it yourself, Sega and other companies have milked it so often which in turn makes those games no longer feel valuable or rare, think of the classic Disney vault. Nintendo keeps tighter control of their classic games to keep their value for when they actually do something with them.

I'd like to see something like NES Remix again, it felt like the greatest hits moment from those games which made me want to play them properly again whilst NES Remix still felt like a game on it's own.

@jump
Nintendo doesn’t have to milk their classic content like Sega but could release a collection once in a while that isn’t limited like Mario 3D All Stars was. The games should still retain their value if they are very good games because people will pay for access to them on a new console.

I'd love to buy 50 Nintendo games for $15, Sega-style. That would devastate the perceived value of Nintendo's IP, though. They do not want their games to go out cheap. So they make sure whatever compilations go out are wrapped in a certain minimum cost. IMHO, we have already seen a couple of game compilations. They're called the SNES Classic and NES Classic. The compilations come with a fair number of games. The packaging just happens to be a little pricey.

There's no current sega hardware

Ha! That's the one. But no trace of the proper animated version online. The Internet needs to take better care of my work. I am now obliged to re-upload. Watch this space...

Wishing I could remember what it was that inspired me to create it in the first place. Something Wii U-drought based, I'm guessing.

Why release compilations of there games when they can tie them to a service like NSO, virtual consoles etc.

Exactly what I was thinking when I started to scroll through. Nintendo has no need to make money solely off software. Quality > Quantity

Sega sells their old games dirt cheap. Nintendo doesn't.

There could be a real technical reason why there aren't more of these, but I can't really find a reason that isn't just "laziness" or "stupidity". I assume licensing is one reason.

And as much as I dislike going on TV Tropes, this is the closest I could find under "Misblamed":

"If you can't play [X] game on [Y] system, it isn't simply the case of the publisher or hardware manufacturers being "lazy". There are many reasons why one game or another can't simply be dragged and dropped onto another piece of hardware; the most common being licensing/ownership agreements (especially for older titles) and the game itself just not being programmed for system in question. The latter is precisely why Backwards Compatibility for older titles is more often than not done via emulation: each new platform a game is developed for often needs to be tweaked for that specific platform, and this was especially the case prior to The Eighth Generation of Console Video Games, where each console had vastly different hardware specifications."

Nintendo puts great value one their licenses and software.

Whereas sega is comfortable selling people a collection of 30 games for 20 dollars and licensing them to anyone with an idea, Nintendo would rather not even sell them unless it is being done on their own (very specific) terms and conditions.

It mostly comes from their ideology of “we know best”. And currently their idea of what’s best, is the subscription service.

I think everyone hit the nail on the head about valuing the IP. Even NSO which gets kicked in front of a bus a lot, Nintendo goes back and does bug fixes. Which to me say more about cherishing the IP rather than milking it for money. And they have rereleased their main sellers every gen in some format (folks complained about VCs cheap prices then too. So not surprising they went curated buffet style) . How many of us own several copies of mario bros 3?

I would love to buy for example a Donkey Country compilation on the Switch, without anything added. Even more so on a cartridge!

@Don Now that Nintendo's classic games are exclusive to NSO subscription, Nintendo also doesn't have to spend as much of their resources on porting the larger volume of classic games, huge libraries, they used to port for Virtual Console on Wii, Wii U, 3DS. I imagine Nintendo doesn't regret ending the business model.

Maybe a controversial take but, add to the list of all these other reasons that Nintendo's back catalogue is actually good. Other than Sonic does anyone really care about anything much on Master System or Mega Drive? Certainly when lined up against Super Mario Bros 3, A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, Pokemon. And while Nintendo being tight with their IP is part of it I don't think it's the majority of it

@WoomyNNYes
To clarify, Nintendo wasn't "porting" games to the VC and they don't "port" for NSO. In both cases we're talking emulation. The effort involved in both services is more-or-less the same. At most they're doing config tweaks for particular titles. Also.... believe or or not but there are more N64, SNES and NES games on NSO than there were on the Wii VC. GB/GBC/GBA it's way behind vs 3DS/Wii U and the same for Mega Drive vs Wii

Don't believe me? Here are the N64 games on NSO that weren't on the Wii VC:

• Dr Mario 64
• Excitebike 64
• Goldeneye 007
• Harvest Moon 64
• Jet Force Gemini
• Mario Party 3
• Mario Party
• Pilotwings 64
• Pokemon Stadium
• Pokemon Stadium 2
• WinBack

And here are the games that were on VC but aren't on NSO:

• Super Smash Bros
• Ogre Battle 64

It’s worth mentioning that at least Harvest Moon 64 was added to the WiiU’s VC (though then again, that’s not a Nintendo game).

@skywake Oh, emulators. I guess that makes sense.

EDIT: If there are more classic games on NSO, I didn't realize that. And that improves my opnion of the NSO offerings. Mainly, I just remember how big Wii's virtual console seemed. It seemed huge compared to the switch. Granted, I didn't pay close attention.

Also worth noting that I'm fairly sure that SuperFX games weren't on any of the VC services. I'm sure someone will find the one example as a counterpoint but the notable ones at least weren't there. Outside of ports I think the first time Nintendo re-released any of these games was on the SNES Classic Mini. Including the unreleased Star Fox 2.... but even then we didn't get Stunt Race FX until NSO

I mean there are still gaps for sure. The GB lineup in particular falls short, all anyone wants is Pokemon and from my perspective just as annoyingly where is Donkey Kong Land? But yeah, I think people look at the VC with rose coloured glasses a bit. And they've just straight up forgotten how much Nintendo was charging for these titles on the VC.....