After two straight years of Nintendo releasing classic consoles, it seems that the company will be taking a break. In an interview with Kotaku, Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime announced that Nintendo has no plans to release a miniature version of the N64 anytime soon. His official statement is as follows:
We were clear when we did the first two Classic series that, for us, these were limited time opportunities that were a way for us as a business to bridge from the conclusion of Wii U as a hardware system to the launch of Nintendo Switch. That was the very strategic reason we launched the NES Classic system. So while consumers may have been anticipating something, we view these as limited time opportunities. We’ve also now been very clear that as the consumer looks forward to engaging with our classic content that is going to happen more and more with the subscription service. I would not ever rule something out, but what I can tell you is certainly that’s not in our planning horizon.
Obviously, this is a bit of a damper on the excitement for a new classic console from Nintendo, but fear not! Nintendo filed a trademark for a new version of the N64 controller earlier this year, lending to the idea that the N64 classic will come to fruition at some point.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Reggie’s statement tells you all you need to know about Nintendo’s plans for these classic consoles. During the Wii U era, Nintendo leaned on the classic consoles as a business opportunity in a time of struggle. Now with the success of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo can lean on their flagship console rather than using nostalgia to their advantage.
Are you looking forward to the N64 Classic? Be sure to leave a comment below and tell us what you think!