Retro gaming is hotter than ever, and buying complete games from the '80s and '90s in nice editions is often ridiculously expensive. Perhaps that's why the recently announced Neo Geo AES+ became so much more popular than SNK and Plaion had anticipated, and there are other examples of new retro formats that have become so popular that problems have arisen.
As you may know, one of the best formats on the market right now for classic gaming is the Evercade. It's a dedicated retro console that uses cartridges featuring titles from a wide range of major developers and publishers. But even though it's a modern format with new releases, prices have skyrocketed for a number of select offerings.
The reason is that Blaze (which publishes Evercade) doesn't own the game licenses itself, and they naturally expire after a while, at which point the games stop being manufactured and sold. And if they're highly sought-after titles, the bidding war begins on the second-hand market. This could be remedied by trying to renew the licenses and re-release the games, which hasn't happened yet, but that doesn't mean it won't happen eventually.
The magazine Retro Gamer (via Time Extension) has spoken with Blaze CEO Andrew Bryatt about the matter and asked if they might try to release the most popular cartridges in new editions in the future, to which he replied, "watch this space." It's certainly not a yes, but it's definitely not a no either, and it shows that there are plans under way.
We're keeping our fingers crossed for a solution so fans can get their hands on the games they want on these high-quality cartridges.
