Nike Has a Golden Eye for Nintendo-Inspired Air Max 97

Ok, let’s make one thing clear: it has not been confirmed that this is an official collaboration. What is certain though is that have taken some very clear inspirations from a legendary video console: the Nintendo 64.

Check the above official Nike images to see the literal translation of the N64’s primary colours. At first glance, the starts with its OG ‘Silver Bullet’ palette, then adds a black sole to simulate the console body.

A closer look reveals this sneaker is chock-full of details. A yellow Air unit references the controller’s C buttons, while blue and green stripes represent the A and B buttons respectively. Red on the tongue alludes to the ‘Start’ button on the centre of the controller, leading to ‘Power’ and ‘Reset’ patches on the tongue. Inside, the insole print cheekily flips the old ESRB rating label with Nike’s own ‘Designed In 1997’ callout. Last of all, the heel loops display ‘Air Max’ callouts in a very clear remake of Nintendo’s bubble logo.

There is no hard release date yet, but check in with Nike often as it’s looking like this is going to be a big release.