When the original Wii first launched back in 2006, one of the biggest features of the system was Nintendo's new digital library: the Virtual Console. For years, trying to find a legal copy of Super Nintendo and NES titles had been nearly impossible, but that changed when the Big N promised that the best games from its retro systems would make their way onto the Virtual Console.

For the most part, they were right: while there were some notable omissions, most of the company's retro library went digital, and the selection only continued to grow after the Wii U launched in 2012.

That being said, the Virtual Console focused solely on the 16-bit era for a long time: until recently, it was impossible to download anything that came out after the days of the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. Super Mario 64, which was released earlier this month, was the first Nintendo 64-era game to come to the digital library - though, by the looks of things, it was only the first of many.

According to a statement from Harvest Moon publisher Natsume, anyone hoping for more classic SNES games on the Virtual Console might be out of luck.

While speaking with Engadget, Natsume Community Manage Cee-Cee essentially confirmed that Nintendo was moving on from 16-bit classics to its 64-bit library. When asked about the possibility of fan-favorite Pocky and Rocky coming to the virtual console, Cee-Cee made it pretty clear:

"At this point, it's unlikely we'll see any other Natsume SNES games coming to the Virtual Console, as Nintendo's interest has moved onto other classic systems."

Now, on its own, that statement wouldn't necessarily carry all that weight - after all, it sounds like it applies more to Natsume's own games than anything else. Unfortunately, Cee-Cee put the final nail in the coffin after being asked about any other SNES games making their way to the digital library:

"If it's not up now, it's not coming."

Ouch.

That's not to say that Nintendo will take any of the Virtual Console's current lineup down; it's just that the publisher won't be adding anything new. While it's true that a good chunk of the Super Nintendo's library wasn't worth playing, only a fraction of the system's 700 games ever made it onto the Virtual Console. It's a shame that more cult classics won't make it to the console...at the very least, fans can look forward to a wealth of classic Nintendo 64 titles.

As it stands, Nintendo has yet to issue an official statement, and you probably shouldn't expect one, as the company is usually pretty tight-lipped about this sort of thing.

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