New trademark filings made by Nintendo seem to suggest that a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition is on the way, following the massively successful but discontinued NES Classic Edition and the upcoming SNES Classic Edition.

Is the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition already under development? Or are the rumors hyping up a device that will never see the light of day?

Nintendo 64 Classic Edition On The Way?

A NeoGAF user discovered that Nintendo recently filed four graphical trademarks with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. One was for the Nintendo Switch controller, another was for a NES controller, and the third was for an SNES controller.

The fourth one, however, was for the uniquely shaped Nintendo 64 controller, with its three "legs" and an analog stick in the middle. The filed trademark for the image of the controller triggered rumors that Nintendo is planning to release a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition in the future.

The reason why the trademark for a Nintendo 64 controller is compelling evidence that the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition will soon arrive is that the black-and-white images of the NES controller and the SNES controller from the other trademarks are similar to what is seen on the boxes for the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Edition. Many gamers believe that the trademarked Nintendo 64 controller image will eventually find its way onto the box of a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition console.

Holes In Nintendo 64 Classic Edition Rumors

While the trademarked images could be considered evidence that Nintendo is working on a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition, it might be just wishful thinking for fans of the console. There are a few holes in the theory that such a device is coming soon.

The first major problem with the rumors is that the trademarks for these images were only filed a few days ago. However, Nintendo discontinued the NES Classic Edition in April, and it does not make sense for the company to file a trademark for a product that is no longer in circulation.

In addition, it does not make sense that a trademark application for an image of a Nintendo Switch controller is lumped along with the three other retro consoles.

If not the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition, then what do these trademarked images mean? One possible explanation is that Nintendo is reserving these images for the Virtual Console, a feature originating from the Nintendo GameCube that will allow retro Nintendo games to be played on the Nintendo Switch.

There is also the possibility that Nintendo is simply filing a trademark for the Nintendo 64 controller image in case it eventually decided to move forward with a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition, with no assurance that the device will indeed happen.