The Real Reason Nintendo “Killed” NES Classic
There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation to why Nintendo isn’t selling the NES Classic Mini anymore.
Nintendo recently announced it would discontinue the sleeper Christmas 2016 hit, must-have device NES Classic Mini and boy has the internet reacted like a collective group of bratty 2-year-olds being wrenched away from the candy aisle.
Tabloid site Kotaku reacted with snide remarks, the journalistic veterans at Polygon were perplexed with Nintendo’s decision, making up baffling excuses while Eurogamer spoke to a friend of a friend who’s dad’s uncle knows the driver of a guy who works with a woman who used to know the retired janitor at Nintendo who insists the company had to drop it to make room for a SNES Classic Mini!
Amongst all the panic everyone seemed to forget a little nugget of information: the Nintendo Switch exists.
For those who don’t know, Nintendo Switch is Nintendo’s brand new flagship hardware product; a new-generation gaming console that hit the market in March, shortly before the discontinuation of the NES Classic.
During the launch of the Switch, Nintendo outlined its plan to offer a paid subscription service for the consoles’ online connectivity functions. The monthly premium would not only allow players access to Switch’s online multiplayer functionality, but would also give subscribers access to one NES or SNES game per month with new features such as online leaderboards.
After the month is up, those who want to own that NES or SNES game will be able to buy it from the eShop.
In other words, Nintendo is planning to sell some, many or even all of the games included in the NES Classic Mini eventually on the Nintendo Switch console. And while it may not be as cute a concept, the extra features added to those games along with the power of portability it’s a much more attractive option to prospective buyers. Sure you need to buy a Nintendo Switch for the privilege to play those games and you’ll probably end up paying more over the months for all the games and the console than you would if you just bought a NES Classic Mini and the mythical SNES Classic Mini, but who can fault Nintendo for wanting to make more money?
NES Classic Mini was never supposed to be a long term product. It was supposed to be a novelty gift you’d buy an older gamer over Christmas who grew up with the NES. Philosophically, Nintendo may have hoped that it would whet the appetite for NES and SNES games in the future, that the small amount of nudging from this little device would soak in the minds of the consumer so when the time came to launch the Nintendo Switch’s online service, offering NES and SNES games as an incentive wouldn’t seem to random.
That the device sold like hotcakes was something no one really expected and those lucky enough to own one should cherish it as a collector’s item. For the future of playing these legacy titles lies in the Nintendo Switch and its forthcoming online subscription service.
