Nike Reveals Air Max 97 Sneakers Inspired by the Nintendo 64

Game Rant

By Dalton Cooper

Published Jul 9, 2019

Nike reveals a new look for its Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that takes clear inspiration from Nintendo's Nintendo 64 console, though it's not officially branded.

In 1997, Nike released the Air Max 97 sneakers, designed by Christian Tresser. Now Nike is releasing a new version of the Air Max 97 sneakers with a unique color scheme inspired by another 90s icon - the Nintendo 64.

This is according to the site SneakerNews, which released photos of the Nintendo 64-inspired Air Max 97 sneakers. While they do not appear to be officially Nintendo-branded sneakers, these new Air Max 97 shoes are clearly based on the company's Nintendo 64 console. The shoes are mostly grey, reminiscent of the standard Nintendo 64 controller back in the day, with "Power" and "Reset" buttons on the tongue badges. However, the similarities to the Nintendo 64 don't end there.

SneakerNews also pointed out that the front pull tabs have three dots that look like the Nintendo 64 controller jacks. Furthermore, the inside of the shoe has a parody of the ESRB rating logo, and the back of the shoe has "Air Max" made to look similar to Nintendo's own logo. So while they're not likely officially-branded shoes, there are just too many similarities to say that the new Nike Air Max 97 sneakers aren't directly inspired by the Nintendo 64.

nike reveals air max 97 sneakers inspired by nintendo 64

Anyone interested in buying the Nintendo 64-themed Nike Air Max 97 sneakers can't do so just yet. SneakerNews says that the shoes will be available later this summer on Nike's website, but did not provide an exact release date. While we don't know when the shoes are coming out, we do have a general idea of their price tag, which is expected to be around $160, in line with most other Nike Air Max 97 shoes currently available on Nike's website.

While fans wait for the Nintendo 64-inspired Nike Air Max 97 sneakers, they may want to consider some of the officially-branded video game shoes out there. In the past, Nintendo partnered with Vans to produce a line of shoes that included characters from Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and more.

More recently, Adidas teamed with The Pokemon Company to release a line of Pokemon sneakers. This line includes sneakers based on Pikachu, Squirtle, and other Pokemon.

Source: SneakerNews