Nintendo discontinues the NES Classic Edition because they hate money and love scarcity
Nintendo is discontinuing its NES Classic Edition, apparently. The move is confounding for two reasons, or maybe just one reason split into two by my rotting-brain. First, it’s still pretty much impossible to find. Second, people still really want to buy the motherfucker. So, uh. Why?
Nintendo will discontinue the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition and the last shipments will go out to retailers throughout this month.
A Nintendo representative provided the following statement to IGN:
“Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product.”
Additionally, a representative told IGN, “NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product. However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans.” The company has no plans to produce more NES Classic systems for North America. This announcement includes the discontinuation of the NES Classic Controller. As for third party accessories, Nintendo said the decision whether or not to continue production of accessories will be up to each individual manufacturer.
Nintendo of America would not confirm whether this announcement meant the discontinuation of the NES Classic/Famicom Mini worldwide. Nintendo said it had nothing to announce at this time regarding the future of the Nintendo Classics brand or the lifetime sales of the short-lived plug and play system.
The NES Classic Edition launched on November 10, 2016 and included 30 retro games from Nintendo’s past. It immediately suffered from terrible supply issues at stores and online retailers. At the time, Nintendo said, “There will be a steady flow of additional systems through the holiday shopping season and into the new year,” and advised customers to check availability at retailers.
In January, Nintendo announced that the NES Classic Edition sold 1.5 million consoles at the company’s 3rd quarter fiscal results meeting.