Famicom Mini production has ceased in Japan for now
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 14 Comments
Earlier today, Nintendo confirmed that the NES Classic Edition is ending production in North America. Final shipments for the year are being sent out to retailers throughout this month. We’re hearing that the situation is somewhat similar in Japan.
On the official Famicom Mini website, Nintendo writes that the hardware has temporarily ended production. It’s not made clear if and when production will resume. Given the situation in North America, it wouldn’t be surprising if this ended up being a permanent move.
The Pokemon Company generated $3.3 billion in retail revenue in 2016
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
In 2015, The Pokemon Company generated $2.1 billion in retail revenue. That total saw a big rise in 2016, jumping to $3.3 billion. It was a $1.2 billion increase, causing Pokemon to move up ten spots comparatively to 2015 numbers.
Pokemon GO’s launch last year was naturally a catalyst, as were Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. The series also had its first Super Bowl commercial ever which was no doubt seen by millions of people.
License! Global writes in a new report:
“Pokemon enjoyed an incredibly strong year at retail in 2016, which marked the brand’s 20th anniversary. The milestone, which recognized the first introduction of Pokemon video games 20 years ago, catapulted the perennially popular brand into the global spotlight and kicked off with the first-ever Pokemon Super Bowl commercial. The company also introduced the mobile game “Pokemon Go,” which became a global phenomenon and was downloaded 650 million times. Pokemon followed this success with “Pokemon Sun” and “Poeémon Moon” for the Nintendo 3DS, which became the third best-selling Nintendo 3DS titles of all time, adding to the 280 million Pokemon video games already sold.”
More: Pokemon
Ninja Gaiden series soundtrack restored with input from original composer
Posted on 8 years ago by Zack in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
The infamous NES series Ninja Gaiden may be primarily known for its unforgiving difficulty, but it also had an excellent soundtrack. While much of the music for the series was never released, the entire soundtrack has now been restored and is available for listening.
Called “Ninja Gaiden The Definitive Soundtrack”, the digitally restored album is split into two volumes, each of which includes 59 restored songs. The first volume covers the soundtrack from the original game’s NES and arcade versions, while the second covers both Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom.
According to Bravewave page for the album, each song has been rerecorded and restored to sound exactly the same as they did upon the release of the NES titles. Furthermore, the entire restoration process has been overseen by the original composer for the series, Keiji Yamagishi.
For the first time ever, the soundtracks for Ninja Gaiden on NES and Arcade and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos are available exactly as intended by the composers originally and true to the original releases. This also marks the first time ever Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom has received an official soundtrack release in any format and in any territory.
The soundtrack will also be available in vinyl and CD formats. You can buy the digital release through Bandcamp here.
Final Smash Bros. and Pikmin amiibo, Neon Yellow Joy-Con pre-orders open at Walmart
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
NES Classic Edition discontinued in North America, last shipments in April
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 86 Comments
Nintendo is ending shipments of the NES Classic Edition, the company has confirmed.
In a statement to IGN, Nintendo writes that the final shipments will be sent out to territories across North America throughout the month. Then that’s it – no more shipments this year.
The full statement from Nintendo reads:
“Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product.”
Thanks to Jes T for the tip.
New amiibo, Neon Yellow Joy-Con pre-orders live at GameStop – Cloud (Player 2), Twilight Princess Link are exclusives
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 15 Comments
GameStop has opened pre-orders for all of the new amiibo announced yesterday. Reserve them here.
We should note that two amiibo are confirmed as GameStop exclusives. Cloud (Player 2) and Twilight Princess Link will only be sold at the retailer.
One last note: pre-orders for the Neon Yellow Joy-Con are also live on GameStop here.
New rewards also available on My Nintendo Europe
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 2 Comments
A few new rewards were added to My Nintendo in North America yesterday. Over in Europe, the site was updated with prizes as well.
Here’s the lineup:
Discounts
20% discount on Pikmin 3 – 50 Gold Points
20% discount on Nintendo Selects: Yoshi’s Island – 40 Gold Points
3DS Theme
Yoshi’s Springtime Siesta – 20 Gold Points
Wii U Digital Content
Pikmin 3 Add-on Content: Battle Enemies! Stages 7-10 – 20 Gold Points
Pikmin 3 Add-on Content: All-New Mission Stages 12-15 (x2) – 50 Gold Points
Pikmin 3 Add-on Content: Collect Treasure! Stages 7-10 – 20 Gold Points
These rewards will remain on My Nintendo until July 1. Check out the different offerings here.
More: My Nintendo
Xbox boss praises Switch, Nintendo once again
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 94 Comments
Xbox boss Phil Spencer often tends to share positive vibes when speaking about Nintendo. On two separate occasions for example, Spencer praised Switch.
Spencer is back at it again with a new interview from Gamasutra. He finds Switch “interesting”, and likes how Nintendo is quick to innovate.
Spencer’s full words:
“Nintendo, I thought, did a cool thing with picking mobile. They kind of said okay, Switch is going to be a console that you can take with you. That’s an interesting idea. Nintendo always does cool things, right. They did the second screen with Wii U, they obviously did the Wii and motion gaming in the room. I love that innovation.
Having innovation that really brings third-parties along is critical to us, I think; Nintendo tends to have great success in their first-party on their platforms and then third-parties usually come in a little bit later, usually because Nintendo creates things that are less like other things. Which is, you know, kudos to them. I think it’s a fantastic part of the industry.”
More: interview, Phil Spencer
My Nintendo adds some new rewards in North America
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 10 Comments
A few new rewards have gone up on My Nintendo in North America. Members have access to a pair of discounts and a couple of guides.
For 20 Gold Points, you can receive a 30 percent discount on Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3. There’s also a 20 percent discount on Super Mario World for 160 Platinum Points.
More: My Nintendo
Charmander returning to Build-A-Bear Workshop
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
At the end of last year, Build-A-Bear Workshop sold a special Charmander plush. Fans will be excited to hear that it’s being made available once again.
The make-your-own Charmander plush will be sold at all U.S. stores starting this weekend. The online exclusive is also in stock here.
Pricing is below:
Prices (U.S. only) are as follows:
· Online Exclusive Pokémon Charmander Set (includes plush, Charmander sound chip, Great Ball Hoodie, Lucario Hoodie and the Build-A-Bear Workshop Charmander Pokémon TCG Card): $61, plus tax
· Make-your-own Pokémon Charmander plush: $28, plus tax, sold separately at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and as part of the online exclusive set; includes Build-A-Bear Workshop Charmander Pokémon TCG Card
· Great Ball Hoodie: $12.50, plus tax, sold separately at select Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and as part of the online exclusive set
Source: Build-A-Bear Workshop PR
