The NES Classic was released in November 2016 and then discontinued in April earlier this year. Even though the hardware was officially supported for six months, virtually all stock was sold out for the duration. It may as well have been a joke Nintendo played on the masses, considering how few were able to actually purchase an NES Classic. It’s an astonishingly popular device, but nostalgia-hungry Nintendo fans would pay anything for those 30 classic games.
As for what GameStop has planned for its 100 NES Classics, the details in the email remain unshared. But considering the email mentions that the hardware will be given away rather than sold, everyone should expect some sort of promotional event. GameStop tends to use these types of events to draw people into stores, where employees can persuade consumers to purchase lucrative Nintendo peripherals like NES Classic controllers or wire extenders. But there’s always a chance that they are given out via social media as well.
It’s no surprise that retailers are offloading NES Classics right now, as the holiday launch of the SNES Classic is likely to overwhelm the hype for its predecessor. Nintendo is promising much higher quantities of the device when compared to the NES Classic. And the device includes an awesome line-up of SNES games. Pre-orders are going to start at the end of August, which is perhaps part of why GameSpot is trying to build up interest throughout the month.
The NES Classic is currently discontinued. The SNES Classic launches September 29, with pre-orders starting late August.
Source: Wario64 – Twitter
