Say It Ain’t So! Nintendo Chief Kills All Hope For An N64 Classic This Christmas

Roughly a month ago, we got our eyes on what were allegedly leaked images of an upcoming Nintendo 64 Classic game console. The move was expected given trademark filings and the previous releases of the NES Classic and SNES Classic

Today, however, we’re getting some bad news straight from Nintendo of America Chief Reggie Fils-Aime. While speaking in New York, Fils-Aime made it clear that an imminent release of an N64 Classic is out of the question. 

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“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,” said Fils-Aime in an interview with Kotaku

“That was the very strategic reason we launched the NES Classic system.”

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Given the booming success of the Nintendo Switch, backed by its strong first-party game lineup, Nintendo isn’t exactly in a rush to continue its “Classic” series. 

“So while consumers may have been anticipating something, we view these as limited time opportunities,” Fils-Aime continued. He went on to add that he would never rule out a N64 Classic arriving at some point, but said “What I can tell you is certainly that’s not in our planning horizon.”

For the time being, those that want to experience retro-tastic Nintendo games — beyond the NES Classic Edition And SNES Classic Edition — can take advantage of the Switch Online service.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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