NES Classic Has Sold over 1.5 Million Units, Shortages Explained

Posted on February 1, 2017

A bigger hit than Nintendo expected.

Nintendo released the NES Classic late last year. The console was a mini version of the Nintendo Entertainment System and featured many classic games from that era installed on the device. The NES Classic was a big hit, selling over 1.5 million units, but was soon sold out despite there still being a big demand.

As GameSpot reports, during the company’s latest earnings briefing, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima revealed that the little console had sold over 1.5 million units. He then went on to address the issue of shortages and stated that the reason it took a long time to get more in stock was because “some parts require time to procure.” He then added that the company is “working to increase production” in order to meet demand.

He went on to say that the surprising interest in the NES Classic may well be a good sign for the upcoming release of the Nintendo Switch. “We also see the nostalgic interest in these products as an opportunity to draw consumers’ attention to our latest game system, Nintendo Switch,” he said.

Another reason for the the NES Classic selling out so fast was, as we reported, because no one thought younger gamers would be as interested in the console. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said: “When we looked at that proposition what we believed was the adults, 30-40 years old, who grew up playing NES as a kid, 10 years old or so but had stepped away from the gaming category–that was going to be the buyer.” It looks like it attracted more gamers than originally thought.