Looking back now, the popular mini NES and mini SNES have almost become one of Nintendo’s most successful nostalgic products in recent times. However, when they were launched that year, many players had already vaguely realized that in addition to selling feelings, these mini consoles seemed to have another more realistic mission.
Recently, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé once again confirmed that everyone’s guesses were correct.
In the latest public lecture at New York University (NYU) Game Center, Reggie frankly stated that the main reason for the birth of NES Mini and SNES Mini was actually to help Nintendo survive the difficult moments at the end of Wii U.
Wii U sales are sluggish at the end of the year, and Nintendo is in urgent need of new products to support the market
For Nintendo, the Wii U generation has undoubtedly been one of the most difficult times for the company in recent times.
The sales performance of the console was not as good as expected, and the market focus has gradually turned to the next-generation console “NX”, which later became the Nintendo Switch. At the time, it was widely known that Nintendo was preparing a new console, but it was still some time away from its official launch.
The problem is that the company cannot sell nothing during this window period.
So in addition to amiibo continuing to expand its product line, Nintendo is also starting to think about other products that can bring in a lot of revenue during the year-end shopping season.
The final answer is the Mini Famicom and the Mini SNES.
Reggie: We need something to sell in bulk during the holidays
In fact, Reggie mentioned in an interview with Kotaku that these mini consoles were a bridge for Nintendo to transition from Wii U to Switch. But ten years later, he obviously no longer needs to use overly official public relations statements.
In this lecture, Reggie said directly: “We are doing this to maintain the company’s business operations, because we need some products that can be sold in large quantities during the holidays.”
There was almost no embellishment in these remarks, and it was the first time that the outside world heard Nintendo executives admit the business considerations at the time so directly.
“Wii U is almost shit”
What’s even more striking is that Reggie used a rather strong description when talking about the strategy that year.
He said that measures such as the mini NES and mini SNES, the cancellation of the 8GB Wii U model, and the strengthening of the promotion of independent games are actually a series of business contingency plans.
The premise of these decisions is: “We know very well that Wii U is in a dying state.”
For Nintendo, this was almost an admission that it knew at the time that the Wii U couldn’t turn the tables. The company’s real goal is to stabilize revenue as much as possible while waiting for the official launch of Nintendo Switch.
It turned out that this move was the right move.
Judging from the subsequent results, Nintendo’s judgment that year was indeed quite successful.
According to official data, as of the end of 2019, the combined sales of the Mini Famicom and Mini Super Famicom have exceeded 10 million units. This batch of mini-consoles has not only become a must-buy for nostalgic players, but has also successfully helped Nintendo survive the gap between Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
It was even rumored that the mini N64 was about to be launched, and various revelations and rumors were flying everywhere. However, as Nintendo Switch sales continue to rise and Nintendo Switch Online continues to expand its library of classic games, it is clear that Nintendo has no urgent need to launch more mini consoles.
Now Reggie’s speech can be regarded as the official conclusion of the reasons for the birth of the mini Famicom and mini SNES. They’re nostalgic items, sure, but more importantly, they were a vital firefighting force for Nintendo during the final stretch of the Wii U era.