Both the NES and SNES Minis have been phenomenal successes for Nintendo. It’s no surprise then, that Sony is considering producing a PlayStation Classic.
After the NES and SNES Mini were released, SEGA followed suit with the Mega Drive/Genesis Mini and even SNK got on board with the NEOGEO Mini.
Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO John Kodera, also known as Tsuyoshi, has suggested that the idea of a PlayStation Classic is being floated at Sony.
Our company is always digging up past assets.
I think there are various ways to do (a classic console). There have been discussions happening (within the company) on what kind of ways are there.
PlayStation Classic
Kodera did stress that there were no firm plans, but rather that given the back catalogue of games and assets, Sony is always looking at how it can be capitalised on.
Even though Kodera stopped short of saying that a PlayStation Classic is in the works, it certainly demonstrates that Sony is paying attention to what Nintendo has been doing.
Both the NES and SNES Mini have sold incredibly well for Nintendo, with the SNES Mini itself selling five million units according to Nintendo’s financial results. The NES Mini has sold over two million units according to Reggie Fils-Aime.
These mini consoles were both sold out during their initial release and Nintendo is bringing them back this June. There’s also speculation that Nintendo is preparing to announce an N64 Mini after it trademarked ‘N64’ in Japan.
One issue that may face Sony in the event it did go ahead and create a PlayStation Classic is software. Nintendo largely developed and published its own games during the NES and SNES eras along with 3rd parties.
Sony, on the other hand, relied heavily on 3rd party support with PS1 and the classic games that fans would expect may not be able to appear. Metal Gear Soild, Tomb Raider, Spyro and Crash Bandicoot were all huge titles for PS1, but they all sit with other publishers.
Additionally, Crash Bandicoot was recently remade for current-gen consoles and Spyro is due for release later this year.
Sony and the PlayStation brand are incredibly powerful and both companies do have a lot of goodwill with fans and publishers alike, so it’s not impossible to see 3rd party titles on a PlayStation Classic. That being said, it all remains speculation at this point as Kodera hasn’t confirmed anything.
It is exciting to think about and would definitely be a big seller for Sony come Holiday time.
