Game Boy could be latest classic console to return, Nintendo trademark suggests

The iconic handset turns 30 in 2019

A new trademark application filed by Nintendo has ignited rumours of an impending Game Boy launch.

The company recently released new mini versions of the NES Classic and SNES Classic, so the Game Boy speculation isn’t quite as farfetched as it might initially appear.

The application, which was submitted on 15 September, was accompanied by an image of the Game Boy.

It was spotted by a Japanese trademark bot, which tweeted it into the public consciousness.

It isn’t clear if Nintendo plans to re-release it, but with the 30th anniversary of the original Game Boy’s release coming up in 2019, such a move certainly isn’t out of the question.

The Game Boy came out in Japan and North America in 1989, before hitting Europe the following year.

Understandably, considering recent developments, most speculation suggests it could be re-released as a “Mini” Game Boy.

However, while miniaturising the NES Classic and SNES Classic certainly made them more appealing to modern gamers, doing the same thing to the Game Boy is, arguably, completely unnecessary.

After all, it was always highly portable, and the screen needs to remain relatively large.

Back in July, Nintendo filed a trademark showing a controller for the N64, suggesting that the company has yet more plans to revive another of its classic consoles.

The original came out in 1996 and was discontinued in 2003 – the same year as the Game Boy.

2017 has already seen the resurrection of two other retro tech icons – the Nokia 3310 and the Tamagotchi.