Nintendo Is Ending Production Of NES Classic (Again) And SNES Classic

by Brandon Hill — Friday, December 14, 2018, 01:46 PM EDT

The fun Is coming to an end, folks. Nintendo's NES Classic and SNES Classic aren't long for this world according to comments made this week by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Fils-Aimé clearly indicated that production winding down on both the NES Classic and the SNES Classic. If you have been sitting on the sidelines, now is the time to get one as quickly as you can.

"We’ve said that the current systems are the extent of our classic program," said Fils-Aimé. "We’ve also been clear that, at least from an Americas perspective, these products are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they’re gone. And that’s it."

Once the near year comes around, we can expect to see supplies start drying up from major retailers until both consoles eventually go out to stock. From there, you'll probably still be able to get them from secondary markets like the Amazon Marketplace and eBay.

If you recall, the NES Classic was originally launched in 2016 and became an immediate smash hit for Nintendo. The console quickly sold out at online (and brick and mortar) retailers and nostalgic gamers waited hours in line outside Toys R Us and Best Buy to grab new stock as they came in. Demand was so high that resellers were flipping the consoles for 4 to 5 times the $59.99 MSRP on eBay.

Stock never really stabilized for the NES Classic, and then Nintendo abruptly pulled the plug on production in mid-April 2017. Then in September 2017, Nintendo announced that it would restart NES Classic production to satisfy the masses and extend SNES Classic production through 2018 (which brings us to today).

It should come as no surprise that Nintendo is looking to wean customers off its "Classic" consoles; Fils-Aimé would much rather you purchase a Nintendo Switch.

"The way that consumers will be able to continue participating with our classic content is going to be through Nintendo Switch Online, and we just released three new games (Ninja Gaiden, Wario's Woods and Adventures of Lolo) from the NES generation onto that platform," Fils-Aimé added. "We look at that as the main way that consumers will be able to experience that legacy content."

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.

Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.