Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime Discusses the Missing N64 Classic

With the NES and SNES Classic Editions having made a huge splash and PlayStation's own Classic Edition coming soon, the biggest question on the minds of N64 fans is when is it the N64 Classic's turn? We've seen retail leaks, patent information, and the rumor mill has been going on nonstop, so when are we getting an official reveal?

Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime sat down with Kotaku to talk about the "missing N64 Classic" and where the company is at on the nostalgia play. "We were clear when we did the first two Classic series that, for us, these were limited time opportunities that were a way for us as a business to bridge from the conclusion of Wii U as a hardware system to the launch of Nintendo Switch," he told the site. "That was the very strategic reason we launched the NES Classic system."

He added, "So while consumers may have been anticipating something, we view these as limited time opportunities. We've also now been very clear that as the consumer looks forward to engaging with our classic content that is going to happen more and more with the subscription service."

When asked if the N64 Classic was still in the cards, he simply replied, "I would not ever rule something out, but what I can tell you is certainly that's not in our planning horizon."

We already know that it has been considered by the company with previous leaks, but it looks like they are focused on the holiday season for now and that the N64 Classic just didn't make the cut.

The Nintendo 64 integrated amazing advanced 3D graphics for its time and advanced the gaming experience with its breakthrough 64-bit technology. This opened up the gaming world tremendously, easily trumping that of the PlayStation's 32-bit experience. Progression was the name of the platform game, and that's exactly what the N64 gave us!

The Super Mario 64 title was revolutionary at the time, especially for a franchise that already had an incredible following and such a huge standing in the community as a whole. The camera control was also a big hit with consumers, including how the controller interacted through all stages of the title's lifespan.

The Nintendo 64 was a turning point for gaming and we owe a lot of our modern-day experiences to this revolutionary console. Because of that, it's understandable why so many would want to see the miniaturized version of the platform see reality. For now though, it seems we just have to sit back and wait patiently for what the Big N decides to do next.