According to Nintendo, the Super NES Classic Edition announced earlier today is only planned for a limited release, though the company already plans to produce more SNES Classics than it did for the original NES Classic last time around.
Speaking to Kotaku, Nintendo says that it plans to produce “significantly more units of the Super NES Classic Edition” than it did for the NES Classic Edition last year. No specific production numbers were given, but we do know that the NES Classic sold 2.3 million units during its lifetime, so it's safe to expect Nintendo to produce at least that amount for its latest classic console revival.
But, also like the NES Classic, Nintendo doesn’t plan to sell the retro console indefinitely. According to that same Nintendo rep, the company is only planning on shipping SNES Classic units from September 29 until the end of 2017 and has “nothing to announce regarding any possible shipments beyond this year.”
This largely mirrors the lifespan of the NES Classic released last year, though in that case Nintendo didn’t make the system’s limited nature known until after it had already discontinued the console.
Nintendo says the decision to launch the SNES Classic as a limited-edition system stems from the company wanting to prioritize its main hardware roster over smaller launches like the Classic Edition consoles.
“Our long-term efforts are focused on delivering great games for the Nintendo Switch system and continuing to build momentum for that platform, as well as serving the more than 63 million owners of Nintendo 3DS family systems,” reads the statement. “We are offering Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition in special recognition of the fans who show tremendous interest our classic content.”