NES and SNES Classic consoles to stop being sold, Nintendo confirms

Players who miss out will have to get their retro fill on the Switch

The NES and SNES classic are about to be killed off – and will not be coming back, Nintendo has confirmed.

The tiny consoles had become beloved for their miniature recreations of Nintendo's classic systems, available at a relatively limited price. As soon as they came out they were hugely popular, and spurred a growth of classic consoles that also included the new PlayStation Classic.

But that popularity led the consoles to quickly sell out, amid confusion about how many the company had produced and whether more would arrive.

Now Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that there is only a limited number of those consoles being made, and that when they are sold out no more will be made. There will also be no more Classic versions of other consoles created, he suggested.

"We’ve said that the current systems are the extent of our classic program," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "We’ve also been clear that, at least from an Americas perspective, these products are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they’re gone. And that’s it."

After that's done, players will only be able to get their fill of classic Nintendo games by using the Switch's service, which comes with a whole host of retro NES games. That comes as a free game that is available to players who subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, which now requires a fee.

Last year, Nintendo unveiled that it would revive the NES Classic – making many more them after they had initially quickly sold out. That gave hope to fans who longed for the consoles to stick around, and for new games or consoles to be released as well.

But Mr Fils-Aime said that the existing two consoles represent "extent of our classic program". That suggests there will be no extra consoles, such as the Nintendo 64, which fans have continuously asked Nintendo to reduce into its own miniature system and rumours had suggested may be on its way.

And he also ruled out new additions to the Classic consoles' line-up of games. "There's no ability for add-on content with our classic consoles, so when you purchase the console it’s coming with that set roster of content," he said.

But he did point out that new games have been added to the Switch's set of NES games, suggesting more might come through that service.