Today, we live in an age where retro-style micro consoles are a popular fad. Well, at least the Nintendo ones. But given how immensely popular the Nintendo micro consoles are, it’s no surprise that a bunch of other video game companies are trying their hands at the formula, hoping the replicate the success of the NES Classic or SNES Classic Editions. This is one, however, that I don’t think many people were expecting.
Polygon reports that on November 5, Bandai America will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tamagotchi, the original virtual pet, by releasing limited edition, miniature versions for $14.99. Though the device itself is smaller, the game is still the same. It has the same three buttons, the graphics are the same black-and-white 8-bit graphics and the screen still isn’t backlit. The gameplay is also exactly the same.
When asked why re-release an old game with the same, old format rather than releasing something more modern like a Tamagotchi mobile app, Bandai’s director of brand management Tara Badie explained that the main selling point for this product is nostalgia. Rather than trying to reach out to a new audience, this device is being marketed towards millennials who played the game as a kid. Badie states, “This is their opportunity to relive their childhood love. For many people, this was their only pet as a child. We wanted them to be able to have the play; you still feed it, you still take care of, it still poops and you still need to clean up after it. We thought if we added too much depth of play that it would be too hard for people to work and take care of it at the same time.”
Published: Oct 10, 2017 01:35 pm