Ex-Nintendo boss: NES and SNES Classics kept company afloat during Wii U era
▼ Summary
– Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime stated that the NES and SNES Classic Editions were created to sustain the company’s business during the struggling Wii U era.
– Nintendo faced poor sales for the Wii U after its first year, prompting the company to take commercial measures to survive.
– The NES Classic Edition, with 30 built-in games, launched in 2016 and proved very popular, followed by the SNES Classic Edition in 2017.
– Reggie explained the devices were needed to sell at volume during the holiday season, as the Wii U was “on life support.”
– Nintendo has not released similar legacy devices for systems like the N64 or Game Boy, likely due to the success of the Switch and its access to classic games.
According to former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition were created with a specific purpose: to help the company survive the tail end of the Wii U era. While many fans may have already drawn this conclusion, hearing it from an official source adds new clarity to that difficult period for the company.
Nintendo’s business was in serious trouble during the final years of the Wii U’s life. After a promising launch, sales dropped sharply following the first year and never recovered. The console was effectively on life support.
That’s when the NES Classic Edition arrived in 2016. Packed with 30 built-in games, the miniature console became an instant hit. The following year, Nintendo followed up with the SNES Classic Edition, which also enjoyed strong demand.
Fils-Aime made these remarks during a talk at the NYU Game Center Lecture Series. He discussed several strategies Nintendo used to stay afloat during that time, including discontinuing the 8GB Wii U model at retail due to low consumer interest and strengthening relationships with indie developers.
On the topic of the mini consoles, Fils-Aime explained: “The other thing we did is, in two successive years, we launched those micro legacy devices. If you remember those, right? The small NES and then the following year the small SNES. We did that to sustain our business because we needed something to sell at volume come the holiday season. So it was a series of commercial ideas, knowing full well that… you know, the Wii U was on life support.”
Some fans hoped Nintendo would continue the trend by releasing similar devices for systems like the N64 or Game Boy. That never happened, likely because the Nintendo Switch became a massive success. Classic games are now widely available on the Switch and the newer Switch 2, making dedicated mini consoles unnecessary.
In other recent comments, Fils-Aime also revealed why Nintendo cut ties with Amazon during the Wii and DS era, including an illegal demand the retailer made. You can read more about that here.
(Source: Nintendoeverything.com)
