When Nintendo announced the NES Classic Mini and SNES Classic Mini would be returning to stores for the rest of the year, they also made sure to state very emphatically that the two systems will be available in stores only through the end of the year—presumably to give fans enough of a heads up to actually get one if they want, and to make sure expectations will be managed properly.
But since then, the two systems have gone on to do exceptionally well at the market, even topping the NPD Charts few times. Surely that may have caused Nintendo to change their mind? Apparently, no. Speaking to Hollywood Reporter, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime reconfirmed that the NES and SNES Classic Mini will both be gone after this Holiday season, pointing to the Nintendo Switch Online service as the destination for classic Nintendo content going forward.
“We worked very hard, both for the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, to really have the best games that defined that generation. We’ve said that the current systems are the extent of our classic program,” he said. “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 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’s a shame that Nintendo won’t be selling them on an ongoing basis, especially given how well they do, but at the same time, I can understand that they want to funnel people into buying a Switch, and then subscribing to their online service. I can only hope that, in the end, the much rumoured N64 Classic Mini will fill in the void that these two systems’ discontinuation will inevitably leave on the market.