Nintendo promises "significantly more" SNES Classic consoles after 2016's NES Classic debacle
If you're excited about the Super NES Classic Edition -- I sure am -- then there's a bit of a good news/bad news situation developing here.
First, the bad news. Much like 2016's NES Classic, Nintendo's follow-up will almost certainly be a limited edition item. A Nintendo spokesperson confirmed as much in an email exchange with me.
"Super NES Classic Edition is currently planned to ship from Sept. 29 until the end of calendar year 2017. At this time, we have nothing to announce regarding any possible shipments beyond this year."
While an optimist might read that statement as non-committal -- "Yeah, we'll promise shipments through the end of 2017 and who knows about 2018??" -- Nintendo's follow-up makes the release philosophy clearer. These "Classic" consoles are a treat for fans, but the company's real focus is on other products.
"Our long-term efforts are focused on delivering great games for the Nintendo Switch system and continuing to build momentum for that platform, as well as serving the more than 63 million owners of Nintendo 3DS family systems," the spokesperson wrote. "We are offering ... Super NES Classic Edition in special recognition of the fans who show tremendous interest our classic content."
While it's not an outright admission that the SNES Classic is a limited-time-only item, that fact is heavily implied -- especially in the context of the NES Classic's own short-lived existence on store shelves.
But wait. There's still the good news. You had to be very lucky to nab yourself an NES Classic after it launched in 2016, but Nintendo is taking steps to -- hopefully -- ensure that history doesn't repeat this year.
The spokesperson wrote: "We aren’t providing specific numbers, but we will produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition."
The company's poor communication throughout the NES Classic's life and on into its death raised a lot of questions about how this long-rumored SNES Classic would be handled. Specific numbers would have been nice, but the simple fact that the company is willing to acknowledge 2016's underserved consumers is a positive step forward.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
