It’s official. The NES Classic Edition will cease production in North America after this month, Nintendo confirmed to IGN.
This has been rumored for some time, and Nintendo’s finally fessing up.
A Nintendo representative told 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.”
While the rep wouldn’t confirm the discontinuation of the NES Classic beyond North America, they did add the controller for the retro console would also cease production. The production of third-party accessories will be completely up to the individual manufacturers.
The Nintendo rep added that the NES Classic wasn’t supposed to be “an ongoing, long-term product,” but Nintendo manufactured more to meet the high consumer demand. And high it was.
Following the NES Classic’s launch in November of last year, all retailers suffered supply shortages, with demand for the system through the roof. Online store Amazon sold out of the NES Classic in the blink of an eye, with ridiculously overpriced listings appearing almost as quickly.
Nintendo had no further comments to make on the NES Classic or the future of retro console releases.
If you’re looking for an NES Classic, all we can tell you is to check with your local retailers and keep refreshing that Amazon page until you get lucky. Or, ya know, fork over $200 to a scalper. Whatever floats your boat.
