Did You Get An NES Classic? If Not, You Might Be Out Of Luck

Were you one of the thousands of people that wasn't able to get your hands on an NES Classic after they came out last November? If you were hoping to get one when the supply caught up, you might be out of luck. IGN is reporting that Nintendo has decided to discontinue production of the device, with the final shipments being delivered to retailers this month.

In a statement given to IGN, Nintendo says the final shipments to North America will be completed in April, and encouraged those interested in getting one to check retailers for availability.

The $60 NES Classic Edition has essentially been out of stock at stores around the country since they came out in November of 2016, just in time for Black Friday shopping. As (rare) replenishments came in to stores, they flew off the shelves immediately. Many hoping to get one of these gaming devices as a holiday gift (and even after that) have turned to buying the systems on sites like eBay, at prices over double the standard retail price.

Nintendo told IGN that the NES Classic "wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product." Extra shipments beyond their original plans were made to satisfy higher than anticipated demand. Other news outlets like Business Insider have reached out to Nintendo for further comment or to see if there are other plans for new versions of the NES Classic, but no word has reportedly been given from Nintendo at this time.

This seems incredibly strange business decision to me. Does Nintendo not like money? While they may have had no plans for this device beyond a quick Black Friday seller, when the demand showed itself to be as high as it was, why would they not continue to churn these things out? Heck, raise the retail price a little if you want. People are paying over twice the retail price online to get their hands on one as it is.

In the meantime, if you have one of these already, you suddenly have a goldmine you could make some big money on via the internet.