KEY POINTS

  • A five-second video on the official LEGO account seems to confirm what was previously leaked: that LEGO is releasing a special set featuring the Nintendo Entertainment System
  • The classic 8-bit console released in 1985 saw the appearance of classic games including "Super Mario Bros.," "The Legend of Zelda," and "Metroid"
  • A Twitter user leaked that the set will 2,646 pieces and priced at around $250 when it is released in August

A team-up between LEGO and Nintendo previously produced a Super Mario collaboration, so what could these toy and entertainment giants possibly do next?

A five-second video on LEGO’s official Twitter account indicates that a set based on the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES) console is what they will be offering.

The set looks to include the NES console and an accompanying console, a “Super Mario Bros.” cartridge, and an old school television for good measure.

Released in 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System was the North American and European equivalent of the Japanese Nintendo Family Computer. It was an 8-bit third-generation home video game console that revitalized the US video game industry and famously launched iconic games like “Super Mario Bros.,” “The Legend of Zelda,” and “Metroid.”

Other games that launched on NES include “Mega Man,” “Castlevania,” “Dragon Quest,” and “Final Fantasy.” Those games have subsequently seen sequels with improved graphics and gameplay over the three decades since the NES was first released.

Forbes reports that the initial leak was flagged by Nibel (@Nibellion), a prolific tweeter who’s made quite the name for themselves by leaking major gaming news before official announcements come to pass. Alongside images of the bricky NES, Nibel also discovered via German website Promo Bricks that it’ll command a price tag of approximately $250.

VJGamer picked up on the @Nibellion Tweet and added that the collector’s edition set will have code 71374 for release on August 1, the same day that the wider range becomes available. It appears the NES Lego set will be compatible with the incoming Super Mario Starter Course (71360), adding “another dimension” of sound and interactivity to the set.

The images show a 2,646-piece TV and console combo. A Mario sprite, suspended on clear plastic arm, is movable; according to the images, the background presumably moves in a loop, courtesy of a crank handle on the right side of the set, notes Forbes.

If this NES set and the Super Mario collaboration prove successful, a continuation of the LEGO and Nintendo partnership could follow, perhaps leading to more cartridges in LEGO brick form, or even consoles like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the N64, or even the portable Game Boy.

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A Lego logo is pictured during the annual New York Toy Fair, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on February 16, 2019 in New York City. JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images
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