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Nintendo ‘Recognizes There’s An Appetite’ For Virtual Console On Switch

By Josh Moorcroft
Published on: 02:00 PST, Jun 15, 2017

The Virtual Console, which provides access to a back catalog of some of Nintendo’s classic gems, has become a staple of their modern consoles, including the Wii, 3DS, and more recently, the Wii U. However, the back catalog has yet to make its way to Nintendo’s newest piece of hardware – the Switch – which launched earlier this year.

In an interview with IGN, Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged that there was an appetite among fans for Nintendo to bring the Virtual Console to their newest hardware. However, he isn’t yet to ready to commit to when fans will be able to expect to see that content, as the company is currently exploring its options.

“What we’re working through is, ‘okay, what’s going to be the best way to make that happen, to make that available?'” he said. “Certainly, we recognize there’s an appetite for all of our great legacy content.”

Just last month, Nintendo revealed that the company plans to introduce the Nintendo Switch Classic Games Selection, which will offer a selection of classic games as part of its paid online service for Switch. With Classic Game Selection, those who subscribe to Nintendo Switch’s paid online service will be able to download a compilation of classic titles from Nintendo’s library.

Nintendo says that the service will be limited to NES titles at launch, including Super Mario Bros. 3 and Dr. Mario. However, it expects to expand the service to include SNES titles and possibly other platforms in the future. That said, there’s currently no solid timeline for the service’s launch, especially considering the Switch’s paid online service won’t launch until 2018.

However, according to Polygon, Nintendo has been keen to stress that the Switch’s Classic Games Selection won’t serve as a replacement for the Virtual Console, which has been in place on the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U.

Fils-Aime’s comments come off the back of a very successful showing for Nintendo at E3. The company announced a slew of new titles for its Switch hardware, including the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4. At the same time, Nintendo provided confirmation that a title in the incredibly popular Pokémon franchise is currently also in development for the console.

It was also announced during this year’s conference that two upcoming titles for the Switch – Minecraft and Rocket League– will offer cross-platform play, allowing multiplayer action across non-Nintendo devices.

[Featured Image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]

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