Since the first wave of amiibo figures were released, rumours have been rife about the opening series' discontinuation after intense and ongoing demand prompted a number of video game stores across territories to go out of stock or bump up prices, and also spread the news that three figures in particular – Villager, Marth and Wii Fit Trainer – had been removed from the catalogue systems of certain retailers.
Now, a concerned fan has reportedly received a surprise email response from Nintendo of America’s Assistant PR Manager, David Young, in regards to the discontinuation of the first wave of amiibo. If it is legitimate, this email reply — viewable via Twitter — appears to smash previous rumours out of the park.
Here’s what Mr Young had to say:
David from Nintendo jumping in here. We have not discontinued any of the amiibo figures. Naturally some are more popular than others, and stores will need to reorder these once they sell through. That said, I don’t know how long resupply will take, so I encourage people to pick up their favourite characters when they see them in this busy Holiday season.
If this email is the real deal, and Mr Young’s response on behalf of Nintendo is a genuine one, collectors should have nothing to fear – as no amiibo figures have been discontinued, and a resupply at some point in the near future will occur.
Given the intense demand for amiibo worldwide right now, it is hard to believe Nintendo would cut production on the introductory wave after such a limited initial run. Taking this into consideration, Mr Young’s response appears to match up.
Previous theories before now have included Nintendo exercising caution with the first batch of amiibo rather than saturating the market with their availability – and even more cunningly, limiting stock to make the figurines more desirable to fans. Otherwise, amiibo demand may have just exceeded Nintendo's original expectations, leaving the company well short; that would have been its own mistake, and either reason is far from ideal.
Other theories are pointing the finger at video game retailers, suggesting they may have played a large part in the supply game all along – either prompting fear in fans to help assist in the clearing of their own first wave of stock and gaining a few extra sales at a higher price in the process, or alternatively a theory which adds evidence to the reported removal of particular amiibo from certain video game store catalogues — that retailers simply no longer wish to stock the Nintendo figurines due to the belief they will not have long-term appeal.
Whatever the reasoning — possibly a mix of multiple factors — it's been an unsatisfactory situation for a number of consumers.
Let us know in the comments what you think about the current supply problems, and if this latest update has eased any concerns you had about the future availability of the first wave of amiibo.
Thanks to Ryan Millar for the tip.
[source mobile.twitter.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 60
I figured as much. People are just going crazy on eBay.
Great. That's nice to know, I went on a hapless hunt for Marth after hearing the rumors. With this news I can just stay patient.
Honestly I waited initially because I wanted to pick up Amiibos in person. Marth especially, it's like no two are alike, some of them just don't look right at all.
In any case what I'm more interested in is the Gamecube adapter. I hope someone sent Nintendo an email about that and got a clear positive response.
Edit: It looks like there will be more Gamecube adapters after all :].
https://twitter.com/NintendoFanGirl/status/541777517825515520
However I am a bit skeptical being unable to see the email address of the sender or even a name.
Not a shocker, though always nice to hear. Now we just need an official word on the Gamecube Adaptor.
eBay insanity:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=amiibo&isNewKw=1&mfs=GOCLK&acimp=0&trksid=m2428.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xamiibo&sqp=amiibo
As fast as they are selling, amiibo is probably a hit at retail. In turn, more will be made and sold. People just go crazy when stuff sells out, then go to eBay to rip people off. People did this with Wii for like 2 years straight, among other things that sold out quickly,
Ok good, I'll probably still pick a villager then
People in the UK should try their local Argos. I picked up a Villager for £10.99 a few days ago, and all the other rarer ones were in stock. Nobody thinks to look in Argos (and the Amiibos are too new to be in the catalogues), so it's kind of a hidden treasure trove of Amiibos. You can check and reserve stock online, too.
Disclaimer: I do not work for Argos. The weird alien adverts freak me out, personally.
Keep calm....and play Nintendo!
LOL on those who bought it above the retail price. On the other hand, I've been keeping an eye on online and on my local retail stores ads/promos. Amazon France is selling Wave 2 for 11€. I got some good deals on my local stores, though limited, for 10€ each. There's another one selling Smash 3DS (which I need for the free game promo, bonus sound track and Mewtwo DLC) for 40€ and will give you -10€ on amiibo.
I wonder how many idiots have spent other the odds for an amiibo? further helping the dealers out
@Espy That is where I picked up 5 out of the 6 I have and have my 7th reserved. Too bad the rest are sold out in my 3 locals.
@Espy I was going to suggest that too. I also got Marth from there this weekend just in case. Plus they haven't bumped up the prices.
There are some stock problems with Marth. My gameshop only got 1 Marth on December 5th (and it's all mine ) Now I got all the first 12 amiibo's
Didn't say anything about the GameCube Adapter though
Glad to see Nintendo isn't actually THAT stupid...I just hope they can respond to the high demand quickly. There are already a few THIRD wave Amiibos sold out on Amazon, let alone second. I went ahead and snapped up preorders on every one I can just in case. Only major problem remaining is those darned retailer-exclusives. Planning a trip to GameStop tomorrow to see about Shulk and possibly whatever I can't get on Amazon ATM. I gots the Amiibo fever for reals! Or something.
Well that's good to know. Had I known this info before, I wouldn't have went on a mad dash to find Villager, Marth and Fit Trainer. But thanks to the worry of trying to find them, I ended up finding a used GameCube adapter at my local GameStop yesterday that was sold to them an hour prior!! They were having a 30% off accessory sale, so that with my rewards discount and coupon I walked out with it for around 8 bucks! Who says GameStop is a terrible place to shop!? I found the figures I wanted at Walmart.
I feel bad for the people who rushed and bought overpriced amiibo, it was kinda obvious though
It would be terrible IF it was discontinued. People won't really even share their amiibos.
Just look at Black Friday on ITV people stealing and fighting over TVs, it would be horrible if it was like that for Amiibos.
Why discontinue any amiibos?! They will bring Nintendo to a huge success!
What a relief. I may get Marth afterall. On another note, I preordered every second wave amiibo at my local Gamestop yesterday, even Shulk! Yay.
@Stuffgamer1 You can preorder Shulk online at gamestop.com and pick it up at a store. This can save you a trip
This is good news, now people don't need to go on ebay to buy them for ridiculous prices. Also this means I don't need to immediately rush to the stores and empty my wallet for my favourite characters(Except for maybe Shulk).
Good, my store never even got Wii Fit Trainer, Marth, or Villager.
Now I can get them since I been wanting them since launch
I sure hope they get restocked soon! Definitely would love to get Villager and Marth, and one of my friends has been trying to get Marth, their main, desperately. I've learned from this experience that I should probably pre-order or buy every amiibo I'll want as soon as they come out. So many I want, though...
I kinda figured this was going to happen.
Many people here and in other forums have pointed out that the Wii U, although doing better than it had been, is not selling phenomenally well. The GameCube Adapter and Amiibos weren't made in an insanely high volume because of this. Now that Nintendo sees the demand, they're more than likely going to produce a ton more.
I certainly hope I can get my hands on that Adapter and a Shulk Amiibo.
I want the adapter because I highly doubt Nintendo is only going to use it for Smash. From the developer that looks at gameplay before anything and has ALL control options for Super Mario 3D World, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart, I don't think this peripheral will go by the wayside.
Its the holidays, everything's going to be snapped up at Xmas. Seems silly that some Amiibo would be discontinued after 2-3 WEEKS onsale, so yeah, I'd expect more stock, as well as freaky defects, around new years.
Course, it would probably be wise not to leave them to buy later for TOO long if you intend to buy them all mind you.....
I feel this was a test run they wanted to see how fast they go off the shelves. At the same time it was kinda dumb of them to do it right before Christmas. And when does the December amiibos come out?
well, it makes sense really. A lot of the rumours are probably people trying to make a quick easy buck but if there are more games where the amiibos are planned to be used, discontinuing them so soon would be so stupid.
I didn't believe that they would have been discontinued ONE WEEK after release. Amiibo have the potential to have a considerably longer shelf life than the Skylanders and Disney Infinity series due to the basic fact that Super Smash Bros. will still have market presence, along with a growing library of other compatible titles right until the end of the Wii U's lifespan, as opposed to the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity that will inevitably be bested by a sequel or discontinued altogether by this time next year.
Inevitably, the less popular figures, I'm guessing Marth, Wii Fit Trainer, Captain Falcon, Shulk and the like will be discontinued sooner than the other figurines, but with new entries in the Fire Emblem and Xenoblades series still being in production for release over the next couple of years, demand will inevitably arise again once new entries in these franchises are released, so I have a feeling that they will be available for sometime yet.
@SCAR392 I think people like to rip themselves off, honestly. I could list a Marth right now for $8, and it'll hit $45 by lunch time. Is that the seller ripping people off, or the buyers deciding a $10 toy is worth $50 with shipping?
Haha I knew it.
@Nimious - Nice news about the adaptor.
Now if only Ntinedo would make official announcements about these things rather than relying on iffy Tweets. Doesn't NoA have a PR go to person? The equivalent of Bill Trinnen to deal w/ the media?
If anybody else want's to tweet Ntinedo please try to find out about the Digital Deluxe Promotion that is set to expire in 23 days.
Now all we need to know is when Gamecube controller adapters will be back in stock.
If the demand is there and the prices create a sufficient profit, it'd be stupid to discontinue anything. Not really surprising.
I guess most rumours about discontinued figures or hardware originate from people who want to make a profit by re-selling stuff which is currently unavailable.
@russellohh what you described is honest.. (And yes, they are "ripping themselves off"). Scalpers on the other hand generally start the auction at three to four times its value... I don't like scalpers, but not as much as I can't stand the people that keep them up and running.
@Platypus101 See, that's how I make myself feel better! I only buy one or two at a time, and I list each one for $8-9. If the buyer wants to pay $100, that's on them!
I did once have a buyer ask me why I charged them $60 or whatever for a $20 item. I reminded them that I listed it for 10. Why on earth did they offer me $60 for a $10 item?
@SCAR392 "I figured as much"
Ayyyyy!
I'm not at all surprised. It was a dumb rumor.
Thanks Nintendo now talk about the GC adapters,i been reading it got discontinued as well.
Thank god. I thought it was stupidly too soon to stop some Amiibos. I do expect them to be pulled off eventually. My guess it that they will start pulling some of them off in about 6 months.
I got Marth for the same price I got pikachu, around 20$ US. Its what they costs in Norway. I find the fact that people sells empty Link boxes much more annoying
In brazil people are happyly buying amiibo for 40 dolars. Even tough we dont make as much as a normal american. The scarcity argument is winning any logical thinking and reason. Fun to think most amiibos sold will never be oppened.
Told you so. It was no coincedence this rumour surfaced during the weekend so Nintendo could not deny it for a couple of days. Pump and dump!
Thank goodness, It would make no sense to discontinue some of the Amiibo's already anyways.
This I definitely good news I can definitely wait for the villager. Im also surprised when everyone says the wii fit trainer is hard to find because I have been seeing her all over the place unlike marth which I got lucky and my gf found a second one and villager which is next to impossible to find.
Good news. The news last week that they weren't making them anymore made me a little crazy. My local Target had 4-5 Wii Fit Trainers on their shelves and I was tempted to buy them just because the hyped reports last week.
I also, hope the news about the adapter is true.
Of course. However WHEN is the stock coming? That's my question.
That was to be expected, but some people really put on their best paranoia face on the lack of stock.
Yesterday the Marth amiibo was about $60 on Amazon. Now it's down to around $30 haha.
Considering the limited use of multiple figurines (how many do you really want to train at a time in Smash Bros.?), this kind of fever over their collection is impressive. Is it just because the idea is hitting a chord? Is it because Nintendo characters are for games first? Just wondering. According to the other article Nintendo is finding success with them. It's something that could be amped up SO much more, so that's some good potential.
This announcement would have been nice to hear a bit earlier, Nintendo.
Could have saved myself and many others a few shekels.
I don't know, this story seems fishy. Why one person get an email? Why not an official confirmation of this to everyone? Not that I don't believe the amiibos are going to be reissued, but it just seems weird.
It looks like marth, wii fit trainer and villager might not actually come back and for more bad news lucario is sold out on the toys r us website.
http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-reiterates-that-some-amiibo-are-unlikely-to-be-restocked-after-selling-through-initial-shipment-due-to-limited-shelf-space/
I work in retail and cannot order any Marths. Non-replenishable. I will believe it when I see them.
Yep another customer that pre ordered smash bros plus adaptor and gamecube controller seperately. They cancel the adaptor and game, then have the nerve to send me a controller that is absolutely useless now as the adaptor has been dicontinued. I am beyond hacked off with nintendo and amazon right now
Looks like there is conflicted information.
I'm a little irked with the amiibo toy right now. Yes, they aren't needed to enjoy a game. Yes, they are just cool collectible toys. However, I'm on a budget and I thought hey maybe I'd buy one of these a paycheck and eventually get them all! Here we are and I already can't buy 2 of them? (Luckily I picked up Marth day one) I don't particularly care about Wii Fit Trainer, but I really wanted a Villager on my shelf at home.
Oh well I suppose, guess I better go pre-order Shulk. Somebody needs to explain supply and demand to Nintendo.
I heard that now some amiibos are getting discontinued after their initial shipment. Seeing as the initial shipment went by so quickly, it's impossible to get all amiibos without spending HUGE amounts of money.
Being p***ed off is an understatement.
@WaLzgi: True...but my brother needed to be picked up from work at the mall anyway, and I like some of the people in my store. I don't regret the trip. Also hit Best Buy on the way out...just Lucario and Rosalina left out of Wave 3 for me...Waves 1 and 2 are covered.
What about the Smash Bros bundle?? It's sold out EVERYWHERE!
@russellohh
Both sides of the deal are ridiculous. Either you are getting ripped off, or ripping people off.
@SCAR392 ehh. I list it for $5 now. If someone wants to throw $30 on me that's all them.
Can somebody explain this?
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/amiibo-discontinued/
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