NES Classic Edition Sales News: Nintendo Hits 1.5 Million Orders Worldwide
The Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition's sales is proving to be the company's pot of gold as it recently confirmed that they have sold up to 1.5 million units of the console.
The 1.5 million sales record, which was confirmed by Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima during their Financial Results Briefing, is a reason to celebrate, considering that the NES Classic Edition was just released in November 2016.
The NES Classic Edition serves as an imitation of the original Nintendo console which dates back to 30 years ago. It comes with a replica of the original Nintendo home system controllers. The console aims to deliver the classic Nintendo home gaming system design but with modern features such as an HDMI display output and a static game library that has 30 pre-installed titles including Nintendo and third-party games.
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During the financial briefing, Kimishima also addressed a few instances where there was a shortage in supply, saying: "We apologize to our consumers and retail partners for the inconvenience caused by product shortages. Some parts require time to procure, but we are working to increase production."
The shortage is also an indication that even Nintendo was not expecting that much market clamor for the NES Classic Edition. In fact, there were reports that the product was sold out in some stores in just 20 minutes.
On the other hand, Kimishima added that the "nostalgic interest" the NES Classic Edition draws is expected to bring good results for the upcoming console Nintendo Switch. That might just be the case considering that weeks before Switch's official market release, reports now say that pre-orders are starting to sell out.
According to Forbes, pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch were instantly sold out a few moments after they opened in major retail stores. The problem now is the time that Nintendo might need to stabilize the number of demand versus the number of supplies. Forbes took for example the case of the PlayStation 4, saying that it took months for Sony to meet the market's demands after the PS4 initially sold out.
While Kimishima mentioned that they are trying to speed up production of the NES Classic Edition, there is no word yet when Nintendo will open sales for the console again. The upgraded home system replica is sold for $59.99.
