Nintendo: "Destroy our old games"

[Tan]

Nintendo can't fart in their sleep without it making breaking news all over the net. If this was legit, shouldn't someone have covered it by now?

You mean to say that you DOUBT pawn shop guy? 

Not at all. I'm sure he believes it, and I believe he believes. It's a matter of whether I believe the source that told him. Tens of thousands of pawn shops just in North America alone, dozens of chains representing many of them.

Nintendo will never give you anything but a politicians answer if you email them directly. They are only candid with analysts and journalists on their best of days. But the fact that no one has ever heard of this, even as a reported far fetched rumor, leads me to believe that there's little if any truth to it at all.

If anything, this rumor is a twisted "monkey telephone" version of the story in Japan where the government wanted to ban and recycle older electronics including video games. But that's old news and no longer a concern, even for the Japanese.

http://www.engadget.com/2...n-on-resale-of-used-gear/

[OatBob]

the Japan thing was based on legislation to get rid of old electronic appliances that had a higher potential as a fire hazard, in addition to getting rid of less efficient electrical deices from the past.  Of course, this ban seems a bit rediculous, especially to gamers as it includes classics like the FM Towns and Famicom.

[BadEnoughDude]

Well, here was my original email:

I heard a rumor from a trusted source that Nintendo is asking game shops, pawn shops and second hand stores to destroy any classic game cartridges that they receive, presumably to ensure that all games purchased are purchased through the Wii Virtual Console. I don't need any detailed information, but as a classic game collector I would just like to know the validity of this rumor.
Thanks a lot.

And here is the reply that I got:

Hello,

I'm not aware of such a program.  We do offer a way to dispose of games when consumers aren't able to take advantage of local recycling options for either rechargeable batteries or hardware.  However, for those who wish to recycle, there are a variety of other programs available in most local areas.

Like you mentioned, consumers who purchase our products tend to hang on to them long after having upgraded.  In addition, consumer demand for used Nintendo products remains high, resulting in very infrequent requests for recycling options.

Also keep in mind that Nintendo is not the only publisher of games relating to our systems, there are many other (licensee) companies that have also released games for our systems.  To see a list of these licensee companies, go to the following web address and click on the company name:

http://www.nintendo.com/corp/licensees.jsp

As you know, there are countless websites on the Internet that post Nintendo news and information.  Many of these independent websites take the liberty of posting news based on rumors, speculation, or assumptions--and that is just fine. We understand that Nintendo fans are eager for as much new information as possible!

However, as a publicly traded company in Japan, Nintendo has a responsibility to our retailers, suppliers, employees, and stockholders to provide accurate, official information on our products.  Therefore, what we present on our official website will always be confirmed and reliable.  Although officially confirmed information can still change from time to time (like product release dates), Nintendo's own websites will be the most current official source for all Nintendo news and information.

Our website is also a source of information on products produced by our third-party licensees.   However, because these products are not produced or sold by Nintendo, we may not have all of the latest details. In these cases, we recommend that fans visit the website for the actual company who produces the product in question, or contact them directly for the latest news.

Sincerely,

Nintendo of America Inc.
Neil Dunkin

Seems like more than a typical 'tow the company line' type email, but the answer was predictable.

[Tondog]

Seems very PRish, but I can still see them saying this to pawn shops, however unlikely it may be.

[ColecoVisionist]

Sounds like an urban legend to me, but I've heard dumber things from corporations, like trying to stop the selling of used books and CDs.

[philosophyst]

Sounds like an urban legend to me, but I've heard dumber things from corporations, like trying to stop the selling of used books and CDs.

Wasn't that Garth Brooks that through a big fit about stores selling used CD's?

[Tynstar]

Really, it makes perfect sense. In a lot of cases, buying the classic games is cheaper than paying the $8-$10 for the Wii arcade games. It's the reason why I haven't purchased one online game since I got my Wii almost 2 years ago. I can go out and find the games for $4 or $5, and Nintendo doesn't see a dime of that money.

The average person isn't going into pawn shops to buy games instead of buying them on the Wii. Also it isn't cheaper to buy them at a pawn shop unless the ones that you shop at are a heck of a lot better than the ones here.

I agree with that. Most people are not going to go looking for a NES with games to save a few bucks.