(Image from Nintendo Wikia)
A few months ago, Nintendo announced the NES Classic Edition Console, a small, retro NES complete with 30 fan-favorite games, a controller identical in appearance to that of the original NES (compatible with the Wii/Wii U via Wiimote), and nostalgia-inducing packaging to boot (oh, an HDMI cord and AC adapter as well, but whatever, those aren’t exciting). To top off the bundle, Nintendo included modes for standard 4:3 aspect ratio as well as a CRT filter for scan lines to give you the true 80’s feel. With a $59.99 price point ($9.99 for an additional remote), people were frothing at the mouth for some good ol’ classic Nintendo goodness.
But it was not meant to be.
Yesterday, the NES Classic Edition released with EXTREMELY limited stock around the nation, as well as no apparent options for preordering. This left a lot of people with a sour taste and some negative feelings towards the Big N, with some people in comments sections (which I usually try to avoid) claiming that they will not be purchasing the Nintendo Switch because of this shortage.
Nintendo has been known in recent years to constantly short-ship many popular products. Starting with the Wii, which was near impossible to get until almost 6+ months after launch, through the popular Amiibo toys-to-life line, onto the Pokemon Go Plus, and now, the NES Classic Edition. Nintendo can’t seem to get their production quantities.
Or can they?
If you look back at the Wii console, I don’t think Nintendo had an idea how big of a hit they had on their hands. Morning talk shows were raving about it, grandparents were playing it with (and without) their grandchildren, they popped up in libraries and dorm rooms across the nation and kept going. Eventually, the demand petered out but the explosive response was more than they could have hoped for, let alone planned for.
Amiibo were similarly fated. Nintendo has not manufactured toys in many years, so I assume that capability isn’t something you can just snap your fingers and magically produce infinite quantities of plastic figurines with microchips in them. Supply quickly outpaced demand for Amiibo and they rose in the rankers of scalpers’ dreams, making the supply even more scarce. Nintendo did not want to flood the market and leave shelves full of unsold figurines, as many toy-to-life options had and continued to do. Eventually, fan favorites/hard to find Amiibo would be reprinted and everyone could have their character of choice immortalized as a tiny, glorified desk decoration*.
The Pokemon Go Plus also had a very short shelf life before initial quantities were snatched up. Nintendo has commented that more will be produced and they will continue to make them as demand requires. However, by the time the first batch had shipped, Pokemon Go had lots the sizzle of the sensation from its early days as a mobile phenomenon. Either underestimating how lazy people are, how efficient the Go Plus is at keep people from being glued to their phones, or overestimating the decline of the game, this shortage has continued to frustrate and alienate Nintendo fans.
Which brings us to the NES Classic Edition. The most egregious error, if you are to believe the comments sections. Toying with our nostalgia hits hard in our hearts and people are ridiculously upset with Nintendo over this transgression. No timeline was given for more units, just the standard response that they will continue to ship them as they are manufactured. The same people who bemoan the short cord on the NES Classic controller from one side of their mouths cry foul with the other that they can’t get their hands on one of these units. It seems Nintendo doesn’t care about their fans…
Except I see it as the other way around.
So many people have jumped ship from Nintendo, saying that Nintendo needs to get with the times. They want gritty, mature experiences that grow with them as gamers, not the “for kids” attitude Nintendo seems to take with all of their products. Most people consider Nintendo relegated to a place of secondary importance. You buy Sony or Microsoft’s new console and Nintendo’s as a supplement, if you buy it at all. I believe it’s this mindset that has pushed Nintendo to where they are today.
Nintendo has a relatively new president in Tatsumi Kimishima after the tragic passing of Satoru Iwata last summer. New management and a new direction, coupled with the shrinking space Nintendo holds in the market has pushed them to be more cautious with their endeavors. Overproducing units that just sit on shelves is wasteful. People aren’t putting their money where their mouths are (though it could be argued they can’t because of shortages), so Nintendo is putting out feelers to gauge interest before diving in and committing to larger productions. This can be seen with the launch of the Switch as well. Nintendo has stated that only 2 million units will ship initially, which is less than the Wii U shipped with. There will be shortages and we can blame ourselves for that. When you don’t buy the things a company produces, they produce less to mitigate their losses. They want to be optimistic that things will be different this time, but recent history for them has not shown this to be the case.
To play devil’s advocate, Nintendo could do more on their end to fine tune the situation to more of a happy medium. By taking preorders a bit further in advance, the company could have had a better measure of interest and adjusted production accordingly. Additionally, they have to be cognizant of the fact that a large portion of their business is powered by nostalgia. Virtual Console games, retro compilations, remakes, and the old school gaming market flourishing should be indicative of the interest in these classic titles. I don’t know how many times I’ve repurchased Super Mario World or Ocarina of Time in one format or another, but it’s not an insignificant amount of times. People love being reminded of “simpler” times and if Nintendo can keep giving people that (with enough improvements to justify the cost, like the retro modes/filters), they will keep people coming back. If they don’t start assessing their markets a bit better though, they are going to continue to alienate potential customers through perceived disservice and their caution will end up doing more harm than good in the end.
Nintendo has seen that there is interest for the NES Classic Edition and will produce and ship more. All we can do is remain patient, keep our eyes open, and speak to them with our wallets. In the end, they are a business and that’s going to be the language that gets through to them the loudest.
*- I own most of the Amiibo (excluding the Amiibo cards) and think they’re criminally underutilized. I hope some games are in development that make better use of them.