Classics

Nintendo's NES and SNES Classic systems have had an interesting time on the market over the last couple of years. Initially, consumers struggled to get their hands on the NES console as shipments sold out faster than they arrived, but things slowly started to improve over time and the SNES had a much smoother launch overall. Despite some fans being left out early on, the consoles have shifted more than 10 million units between them.

But what about the future of these tiny, retro machines? Well, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed that the two products won't be restocked after the holiday period. After a quick reminder that these current systems will be "the extent of [Nintendo's] classic program", he goes on to talk about how this classic console era is seemingly coming to an end.

"We’ve also been clear that, at least from an Americas perspective, these products are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they’re gone. And that’s it. The way that consumers will be able to continue participating with our classic content is going to be through Nintendo Switch Online, and 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."

It was only last month that Reggie described the NES and SNES Classics as "limited time opportunities" that were designed to bridge the gap between Wii U and Switch, so this news isn't all that surprising. Having said that, we do find it strange that Nintendo wouldn't want to keep stock available to some extent - the company tends to value its legacy content incredibly highly, and that includes the systems themselves.

If you haven't already grabbed your own version of either of these two consoles, perhaps now is the time to go ahead and get one. Let us know in the comments if you plan to buy one before the holidays.

[source hollywoodreporter.com]