Classic console collectors are in for a bit of disappointing news today: Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that there are no N64 Classic plans at this point in time… but that may not be the end of the story.
The Nintendo 64 Classic has been a long-rumored addition to Nintendo’s lineup of miniature retro consoles. The NES Classic sold like gangbusters and the follow-up SNES Classic managed to move a respectable 5 million units. Fans of some of Nintendo’s older games had plenty to love in these little boxes of fun, and they certainly had no problem turning out in droves to buy them.
With the success of these projects behind them, it was all but certain in the minds of many gamers that Nintendo had N64 classic plans. Unfortunately, Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime put the kibosh on the possibility of another classic console.
Fils-Aime was asked by Kotaku if there were any N64 Classic plans. He responded that he would “not ever rule something out” but that it is also “not in our planning horizon.”
Gamers thinking that there were N64 Classic plans could hardly be blamed. For example, a trademark had been filed for the N64 controller, and supporting documentation indicated an image similar to that of the controller markings on the other two mini retro consoles. This added to the hype from the filing of an “N64” trademark back in May 2018.
According to Fils-Aime, the existence of the first two miniature classic consoles was largely to fill the gap between the latter years of the Wii U and their upcoming hybrid Nintendo Switch console. Seeing as their latest core platform is already out (and doing quite well in terms of sales), the Japanese-based gaming company doesn’t really feel the need for making any N64 Classic plans. The classic consoles did their job and now it’s time to focus on the future.
