
It's not long until we can get our grubby mitts on Nintendo's attractive looking range of amiibo figures. If you are something of a collector however you might want to hit that preorder button now, as some amiibos may quickly become quite rare. During a recent investors briefing Nintendo's Satoru Iwata spelt out clearly that some amiibos would only be on sale as "limited-time offers":
The amiibo figure lineup for “Super Smash Bros.” will continue to be released even after this year-end sales season, and we hope that this will help to update store shelves. As store shelf space is limited, some amiibo will remain stocked on the shelves as staple choices while some will be limited-time offers which will cede their positions to new ones once they are sold out.
There was also a few nuggets of information about progress on amiibo support for the 3DS:
Even though amiibo will be compatible only with Wii U at the launch, we are proactively making progress on Nintendo 3DS compatibility. As the New Nintendo 3DS handheld contains an NFC reader/writer, it will be able to support amiibo after a software update. The Nintendo 3DS platform will also be able to do the same via an external NFC reader/writer, which is scheduled to be launched in 2015. With these offerings, we will increase the amiibo compatible software lineup for Nintendo 3DS.
What do you think of these statements? Will you be rushing out to buy that Wii Fit Trainer amiibo on day one or are you not too bothered about having a complete amiibo collection?
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 99
Pre-ordered my Kirby one already. Good times ahead.
But how do we know which is limited and which is not? O.o
Aw, crap. I'm going to have to take some good guesses at which ones are limited. I'm guessing Marth is one of them.
I assume it's going to be the characters that probably wouldn't sell as well anyway. Hopefully they don't announce who the characters are, so scalpers don't make the market for them even worse. Chances are if there's a character you want, you would have gotten it anyway by the time they start getting to the point where they're retiring figures.
I will still distinctly continue to avoid the ridiculousness of the Wii Fit Trainer at every opportunity. Got Kirby, Fox, and Yoshi on preorder.
I guess the least popular Amiibo will be the ones to be phased out. So I will be buying the ones I am really interested in first, whether they are popular or not.
makes sense. Some of these characters don't get a ton of exposure outside of Smash. Can't wait for Lucina and Robin!!!!!
I'm quitting my job and going to start selling rare amiibos!
@Vineleaf Agreed. The Wii Fit is a dust collector. I do hope they announce which is limited before the pre-sale ends, greedy gorbs.
Oh, damn! They actually do that? Why? Stores will only keep ordering what sells, anyway, and some figures will be sure to sell better than others, so there'll be enough space anytime as long as you don't shoot out new ones every week!
Also, keep the shelf/space organization to the stores, Nintendo! I'm pretty sure they'll have enough for all to come, if looking at the massive abundance of Skylanders/Infinity figures is anything to go by!
Very clever, Nintendo! Now lots of collectors will be buying everyone of them that comes out, and it will be a good way to clean out any existing stock of the ones that do not initially sell well.
If they are going to replace old figure with new figures, is it safe to assume that the second set will replace half of the first set? If so, I speculate that Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Link, Pikachu, & Kirby will be keepers and Marth, DK, Villager, Trainer, Fox, & Samus will be the ones to go.
I really like the Fox figure. "IF" I get any.
What I really want to know is how the figures are going to interact in Mario Kart 8? It's obvious what they do in Smash but what, if anything, will Marth do in Kart?
With all the new Nintendo games coming out soon and the Amiibo that will be available for a limited time, I'm gonna have to get saving up, because my wallet is dying right now!
They're doing it wrong, you are supposed to wait until everybody becomes addicted and then start selling special amiibo for more money. See Skylanders Legendary and Eon's Elite. And Giants. And Trap Masters. And Swappables. And Minis.
In their defense this was a financial briefing and not a public announcement so who knows what "limited time" means?
They really should do an amiibo ND. They built a new 3DS w/ NFC support and we haven't actually seen a single screenshot for ANY 3DS software, not even SSB for 3DS, nor have they announced any other 3DS game that supports amiibo. And not a single screenshot for any Wii U software not named SSB U. The collectors will be th eONLY ones buying them at this rate.
Oh well, maybe next week, or the week after, Nintnedo always likes to keep us waiting. On the bright side the TRU November catalog had amiibo in it this time, so that was good.
@dkxcalibur I would like Marth to be one of the items you get from the ? box. Then he just shows up and cuts that stupid blue shell in half when you're getting it for the third time that race.
Figured this would happen. Have them all payed in full
Meh I don't care much, I don't want to get games that depend on figures, the only special Amiibos I would get would be something from Club Nintendo, other then that I don't care, even if they are rare.
Gonna get Yoshi & Wii Fit Trainer & Donkey Kong first!
I'm not too excited for this, but I'll at least pick up the Villager one since I love Animal Crossing.
(Until they release one for Wario, and then I will have to buy another one.)
Sheik and Shulk are all I need..
@Dazza good call on Wii Fit Trainer as it's one of the cheapest and the least pre-ordered in Amazon Europe.
Anyway, I'm going to get Mario and DK first as they are my favorite/main chars. I'll get Luigi & Diddy for my kid on the second wave of release. I'll get Link when Toon Link comes. The rest will have to wait.
I wonder how long before some Amiibos start selling for hundreds of pounds on eBay.
I hope Nintendo will continue to sell all of the Amiibos on their online stores, but I'm doubtful
Hmm what owns will be limited any guess's people ?
I think the crappy ones like fit trainer .
Funny, after reading this, the first amiibo that come to mind for me to rush and pre-order is Wii Fit Trainer. I'm thinking the more recognizable mainsteam characters like Mario and friends will stay stocked while Marth and Cap. Falcon maybe more limited.
Awell people can still pre-order the ones they want so I'm still optimistic about the current supplies.
I'll get one eventually for MK8, but none of the current lineup exactly thrill me.
I'm surprised Nintendolife hasn't posted an article about the bait-and-switch Nintendo has pulled with the prototype models we've seen being high quality while some of the actual retail Amiibos are pretty shoddy.
I want the rare ones along with Link and AC Villager.
I can't get one without feeling like I must have them all! I need to know which limited editions I need to get first...
I'm assuming ones like Ness and Captain Falcon which will have no future game to hop onto will be natural choices for limited time status. Better rush to scoop them up.
My predictons that the ones that will be limited time will be characters who wont be of use other than smash bros. As in, little mac, marth, captain falcon...
Basically anyone who doesnt have a wii u game in the system.
Hmm I'm a bit concerned about amiibos after seeing the article on kotaku a couple of days ago comparing the production ones to the display ones.
Granted they probably picked some of the worst examples but I don't want to buy any amiibos online just in case I get a poor quality one I would rather go to the shop and pick out ones in good condition.
BUT all the main ones I'm interested in will be the "limited edition" ones and might not even get any shelf space at all in my local GAME store. I need all the Fire Emblem ones It's such a great series!!
Anyone thinking of grabbing a Captain Falcon amiibo day one to avoid the inevitable price spike on eBay? Or perhaps even to cash in on such a spike?
Be warned: Amiibo's are freaking stupid
@dkxcalibur I don't think all Amiibos will be compatible with all Amiibo games.
Hopefully for online retailers they won't be limited time as online retailers have a lot of warehouse space, but even that may be limited?!
My wallet:
Just so people know the E3 2014 Display Models and the Actual Production Models are not the same. The Production Models have had a significant quality drop.
http://kotaku.com/nintendos-amiibo-figures-look-a-little-bit-different-in-1651030422
I expect these to be rare:
Mr. Game and Watch
Zero Suit Samus
Pit
Palutena
Marth
Ike
Little Mac
Duck Hunt Duo
R.O.B.
Olimar
Wii Fit Trainer
Dr. Mario
Dark Pit
Shulk
I'm still only getting the ones whose both fighter and design I like. Might have to rush a little into getting them though. A few of them took a pretty big blow in quality since E3 so I'm going to be checking them in-store before buying.
Gonna pre-order Mario, Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, and Pit, as well as Sonic, Pac-Man and Mega Man when possible. I might also get Duck Hunt, Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., and Mii Fighters, assuming the latter will have an amiibo figure.
First of all I'll believe we are getting every character in smash when I see it. They've got a good two years to milk this rotating of the roster. If Amiibo bombs then I don't expect they'll go through with the whole roster.
Second, it is beyond time for an amiibo direct. $13 a pop for a souped up computer fighter in smash is a bit much. $13 for whatever this gets us in other games may be a bit much too, but without knowing what that is, we have to go on Nintendos track record which is... Not so good. Amiibos have a lot of potential, and it seems Nintendo is blowing the hype just like they blew the launch of the Wii U.
That said, I'm likely buying a half dozen total at launch and ummm second launch, knowing full on almost nothing about them. Would be great to actually know other things they will do.
That’s stupid, not everyone will have the sufficient funds to purchase all of them, what if one of the limited ones was one that a person really wanted, but by time he found the time and had enough money to buy them, the stores had no more, well tough luck, that person would have to gather up insane amounts of money to be able to own it by having to buy it off of eBay, or other online sources, people are going to take advantage of this fact and mass buy to make massive profits when no more of that type of Amiibo is availible to purchase by store means, just like the Hyrule Warriors bundle…
Nintendo, don’t do it………………
Welps, Link amiibo isn't compatible in MK8 yet.
Oh so imma make sure I buy the Pit figurine.
I'll be getting a couple, maybe for resale. As a gamer myself, I totally don't sell at the highest available asking price, b/c I wouldn't want to pay said price myself. Greediness costs sales.
I am so glad I don't give a toss about these. Manipulated shortages of items are irritating.
This article is mis-leading, they are talking about retail stores. I'm sure Nintendo and online retailers like Amazon will stay stocked. That's if they even sell out....
so glad i'm not caught up in this mess lol
@Undead_terror Whoever said games will be dependant on amiibos?
If they were just regular figures would you have bought them?
I want them all! Even Wii Fit Trainer
Amiibola virus!
Watch them make mario limited...
Eh...no Greninja yet... :c
Then again I could just get Link since I have Hyrule Warriors. >.>
One Amiibo can "store" multiple games right? (or...whatever. lol)
if i had to imagine i'd say games that dont have much a future will be ones that stop being made. maybe games with series that cant really take advantage of them? like wii fit trainer yea i can imagine that one being out... i think pikachu might be a possibilty since i cant imagine pokemon main games supporting this maybe side games. marth is a hard call ... maybe they could make him useable in a future fire emblem game? theres also a certain cross over game that nintendos been silent on for far to long... maybe they'd do somthing with it in that assuming thats still happening. fox is also a maybe (hes getting a new game theres a chance). if they make amiibos based on the other fighters im not sure if they'll eventually discontinue little mac duck hunt. shulk im almost positive will be limited. other pokemon ... see what i said about pikachu. ness no. pit palutena dark pit probably not. game n' watch doubt it. shiek ... i dont think shiek has a chance since ya know was only in ocarina of time could be wrong of course (is shiek in hyrule warriors? i forget) ike robin see what my thoughts on marth. rob no. dr.mario i really wana say no somehow tho i bet they'd find a way to keep him around cus mario.anyone im forgetting is probably a no if i cant even remember them
Probably wouldn't get all of them anyway as Skylanders i am spending a lot on already. Hope they are really important figures you need like Link Amiibo (getting at launch) great they are making 3DS games with it
Great, we're being attacked by adbots. >_>
...Can we have a Female Villager Amiibo if they're gonna make certain figures limited? I know that I'm probably the only one who'd pay for a Female Villager Amiibo.
Check out close ups of Mario, Link, Pikachu, Peach and Yoshi from the Amiibo displays showing up in stores. The detail on the back of Link sold me:
http://youtu.be/O1clDAGkgIw
So much for buying them slowly over a period of time. Looks like I'll be buying them up fast. Hold on, wallet; we're in for a ride...
If it's just a special edition I would probably pass. If it's a limited time character then I would probably pick it up.
really? i HATE when companys do tihis poop
I just need Ike,Lucario Mr.Game and Watch and finally Palutena.The rest i can get later.
Iwata: "Please understand."
So lets see $13 times 12 is $154 not including tax. Damn. My moneys going to hell.
@Dr_Corndog that's the same one I had on my mind. Although I hope Nintendo is planning to launch another F-Zero game on the Wii U, to go with my amiibo.
If they were only like 2 to 3 dollars each, sure, I'd actually consider getting them all. But for the prices their charging, and how little (so far) they seem to do in the games that use them, I wont be rushing to get them all. I certainly will get a few though, don't doubt that, but only the ones I actually want.
@TeeJay Nope, and you know what I mean, games will either be dependent or have features not special enough to me...I dunno just not my thing man.
Guess i'll just buy them all now! Oh well, no new shoes for me this year.
God help us all.
Verrrrrry smart.
Welp,guess I'm preordering now.
It is generally pretty standard that some will be easier to find than others as games are. A preorder probably wont be essential for the initial launch but it ensures you wont have to fuss around if some shops don't stock one of everything, so I've had my preorder down for all 14 for convenience. Go Amiibo!
I'll take:
Captain Falcon
Greninja
Little Mac
ALL DA FIYA EMBLEMS!!!
@Ryno hey man, you got any Villagers ?
I find it odd that Zelda isn't compatible with Hyrule Warriors, and that Link and Villager are not compatible with Mario Kart 8 (considering that they are both being added to the roster via DLC). It would have made more sense to add Toon Link to the Mario Kart 8 roster in preference to Adult Link as Toon Link would fit in better with Mario Kart 8's more cartoonish aesthetic. shrugs Too late now.
Amiibo looks promising, but all of the missed opportunities that are apparent at this stage prior to its release is making me lose hope in this concept being worthwhile in the long-term. I'm tempted, but I've resisted many "collector's" items in the past, and I can do it again.
Oh god really ? That sucks majorly. Well, i can understand it, markets are already flooded by all that skylanders and infinity crap, but they should at least be continuously produced and available on websites like amazon and such.
This will only drive up prices on said sites, as horders are going to flock over them.
I preordered them all ... =3
Uh oh, better make sure to pick up my favorite figures before they disappear.
Preordered all of them to be on the safe side £111.50 for the first 11 of them. Mario comes with smash bros. Will preordered the December lot nearer the time
Good thing I paid the first 12 off the first day of pre-order. And paid of the next 6 already.
I love working for a game store.
Personally I think they shoulf offer the limiyed time ones online after they're gone from stores. That way people can buy them and they dobn't compete directly with retail
I think ones like Smash!Mario and Smash!Yoshi will be limited-edition, too, since those characters will be reissued in different forms with subsequent games. It was confirmed early on that things like Mario Party 10!Mario will be backwards compatible with Smash.
Creating an external NFC reader that you can buy for the 3DS basically destroys the need for the internal NFC reader on the New 3DS... One of the selling-points for the New 3DS is the NFC reader! :/
Cool banner, Nintendo Death!
I will stick to my policy. I will buy Shulk, Link, possibly Zelda and Samus.
when are they gonna make a game exclusively for them cus til then their cool but kinda pointless...and I want a reason to buy them!
It'll only be the fringe characters who get cut anyway. What other use are you going to have for ROB or Game and Watch? (if they get released) Out of the original line up I can only see Marth and Wii Fit Trainer getting discontinued. I'm not bothered about getting all of them, especially Wii Fit Trainer after seeing the horrible appendage they added to the final figure.
I was planning on buying some of the more interesting characters unlocked from Smash Bros anyway.
Who didn't see this coming? Wow eBay sellers are going to be super greedy on these. Hopefully stores will limit how many of each amibo someone can buy. Let the greed begin!
@DarkKirby: I don't know, I saw the ones on display in the Walmart I work at. They don't look as bad as Kotaku makes them out to be (and they don't look like the prototype figures either). Sometimes they really overreact to stuff.
Looks like I may have to pre-order certain figures... good thing I got a stash of cash saved up.
Oh crap... That means Fox will be limited. Better blackmail my local gamestop owner to make sure I get mine.
I hope that Sonics amiibo isn't a limited one.
This is egregious, time to grab our pitchforks!
I bet captain falcon will be one of them considering how well he is made and how many recent games he has starred in(none).
Guys, picture this:
A limited run of every single Pokémon ever as an Amiibo.
I need Yoshi, Pikachu, Link, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Marth, Villager and Diddy Kong. The others, well I want them all but it will cost to much so I'll start with my favourites! I have a feeling the not so popular ones will be rare once a new series of amiibo come out.
i think they are all limited, they won't release all of them with the smash bros symbol as the base.
@Emblem they're all sold out now. marth alone is going for $50 on the online stores
@Emblem they're all sold out now. marth alone is going for $50 on the online stores
@Windy its not even greed. I'll list an amiibo.I bought for 9.99 on ebay, forget about it, and three days later get paid $45 for it. That's not greed, that's the buyer setting the price.
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