Following a sudden discontinuation, the NES Classic Edition will be returning to stores in the summer of 2018, Nintendo announced. In addition, the Super NES Classic Edition, launching September 29th, will see production continue into 2018 instead of until the end of 2017. Nintendo cites the high (and continuous) demand for the NES Classic as the prime directive for bringing it back to the fold.
“Fans have shown their unbridled enthusiasm for these Classic Edition systems, so Nintendo is working to put many more of them on store shelves.”
The news of the NES Classic Edition’s reprint also applies to Europe and Japan’s Famicom Mini.
Not long ago, NoA’s Reggie Fils-Aime advised that no one should pay more than $80 for the Super NES Classic, promising a high volume of shipments this holiday. In hindsight, it looks like he meant it, given the company’s public promise to ship it for longer than planned.
Launched last November as a hot holiday item, the NES Classic Edition was discontinued worldwide in April 2017, with Nintendo only then clarifying that it was never meant to be an ongoing product. The 8-bit miniature box has come back since then, but only through expensive ThinkGeek bundles (ThinkGeek is owned by parent company GameStop).
Only time will tell if more and more people will actually be able to find the NES Classic (and Super NES Classic) on store shelves this holiday and next summer.
