Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has admitted that the demand that has surrounded the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition has greatly exceeded the company’s expectation.
While acknowledging that the stock shortages have been a frustration for consumers, Fils-Aimé promised that Nintendo was continually shipping more NES Classic Edition units to retailers as they try to meet demand as quickly as possible.
“Every day there’s more going into the retail channel,” Fils-Aimé reinforced in an interview with CNET. “The overall level of demand is certainly greater than we anticipated, that’s why we’re suffering through the shortages out there in the marketplace.”
The NES Classic Edition has been seen as a chance to engage with multiple generations of players, looking to attract lapsed gamers. Rediscovering how much they had once enjoyed Nintendo’s classic games, the company hopes that it can build excitement for Super Mario Run, Nintendo Switch, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
He continued: “We saw the NES Classic as an opportunity to engage with millennials, gen-Xers, boomers, people who had played those games back in the day, but life had gone by, and they had somewhat walked away from gaming.
“It was a great way to re-engage them, and our belief is that by re-engaging them, it creates an opportunity for Super Mario Run, it creates an opportunity for our 3DS business, it creates an opportunity for Nintendo Switch, because all of a sudden they’re recognizing what they knew 20 or 25 years ago: they love Mario. They love Zelda. They love all of our classic IP, and they’re re-engaging with it right now.”
His body was not ready.