OPINION PIECE: SNES Shenanigans, Secrecy & Shadiness

Written by Jose Gonzalez / DicloniusGames

Last year, Nintendo executed a bold strategy by releasing the NES Classic. The system was a far smaller version of Nintendo’s first console which came pre-loaded with 30 games chosen by Nintendo themselves. 

While this was a nostalgia effort done by Nintendo, the execution was about as flawed as Microsoft’s plan for an always-online console. Releasing late last year at the low price of $59.99, the NES Classic quickly shot up like a rocket to the steep prices anywhere between $200 and $500. How and why this happened is simple. Nintendo refused to release enough systems for people to buy fairly, thus resulting in scalpers seething at the opportunity to rip honest gamers off by capitalizing on their nostalgia to play classic games without the need to hunt down an original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).  Some games that released for the NES Classic included Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Super Mario Brothers, and Metroid. Some of the best experiences came from the original Nintendo console. 

Now why am I afraid for gamers that want the SNES Classic? It’s because this is prone to happen again. ​​

With a release date of September 21, 2017, 21 games pre-loaded onto the system and a price of $79.99, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal on paper, especially with games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, Super Punch-Out and the unreleased Star Fox 2, the SNES Classic will no doubt be a hot release at launch…and a major opportunity for scalpers. 

Nintendo has been known to shortchange at release when it comes to things like this. If you remember the amiibos, and most recently, the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo believes that shortchanging consumers by not shipping a lot of stock of their most-wanted products raises hype. That’s not how it works Nintendo. Keeping your consumers happy is how things work in the games industry. If your consumers aren’t happy, then they won’t buy your products unless they’re die-hard Nintendo fans and even then, those consumers may not buy your products. 
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This may fall on deaf ears, but I urge you with the utmost of pleas…don’t fall into this trap again. Show Nintendo that you won’t stand for this crap a second time, and for some…a fourth time if you count the amiibos, the NES Classic and the Switch. Vote with your wallet because there are other alternatives out there instead of giving Nintendo $80 of your hard-earned money or giving malevolent scalpers 5 times as much if not more…even if you want to see Star Fox 2. ​