Nintendo May Discontinue Some Amiibo Figures After First Run

Nintendo might discontinue the less popular Amiibos, so take note collectors [updated]

By Will Fulton December 11, 2014

Amiibo E3 2014 5 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

UPDATE: “Certain sold-out Amiibo may return” to stores, according to a statement that Nintendo of America released to clarify recent remarks from company representatives. The new statement does not necessarily contradict the earlier claim that some amiibo will not be produced beyond their first run, but it does soften Nintendo’s position on the matter and might reduce the anxiety that started to spread among fans on December 6 when Canadian retailer VideoGamesPlus tweeted that Marth, the Wii Fit Trainer, and the Villager were “gone forever”.

Nintendo’s full statement reads:

Some Amiibo were very popular at launch, and it is possible that some Amiibo in the United States, Canada and Latin America may not be available right now due to high demand and our efforts to manage shelf space during the launch period. Certain sold-out Amiibo may return to these markets at a later stage. We are continually aiming to always have a regular supply of Amiibo in the marketplace and there are many waves of Amiibo to come.

ORIGINAL POST: Certain, unnamed amiibo figures will not continue production after the initial batch sells out, as Nintendo revealed in a recent interview with Wired. If you want a character that isn’t a Nintendo mainstay, grab it as soon as possible before it becomes a collector’s item.

“We will aim for certain amiibo to always be available,” a Nintendo representative told Wired. “These will be for our most popular characters like Mario and Link. Due to shelf space constraints, other figures likely will not return to the market once they have sold through their initial shipment.” Nintendo did not clarify which figures would not make the cut.

Nintendo’s amiibo figures launched alongside Super Smash Bros. Wii U on November 21, 2014 in North America. Like the popular Skylanders and Disney Infinity toys, amiibo store specific game data, using near field technology fitted into the Wii U GamePad (and soon enough, the New Nintendo 3DS) to interact with various Nintendo games like Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8.

Three out of the 12 amiibo shipped so far have already become difficult to track down: Marth, Villager, and the Wii Fit Trainer. The aftermarket price of Marth, in particular, has shot up as stores have not restocked the initial run. Marth is one of the most obvious candidates for obsolescence as a character who is popular in Smash Bros., but otherwise only hails from the niche Fire Emblem strategy games.

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