Topic: Discontinued Amiibo Figures Could Come Back in Card Form

[NWR_Neal]

Can't find Marth? Don't worry. You might be able to get a card of him.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/39269/discontinued-amiibo-figures-could-come-back-in-card-form

If you're unable to find certain Amiibo figures, you might be able to still use the character's features in games in another way, according to Shigeru Miyamoto in a recent interview.

He didn't comment directly on the idea of discontinuing certain figures, but Miyamoto did clarify that figures could come back in another form.

"In the future, we have the option, if certain 'amiibo' figures are no longer available in stores, to release an 'amiibo' in card form with the same functionality," Miyamoto said.

Currently, Marth, Wii Fit Trainer, and Villager are all rumored to be discontinued and not available in the future.

[ejamer]

Wow. That's... no consolation at all.

[Mythtendo]

Since Nintendo has come out and plainly stated that Marth, Wii Fit Trainer, and Villager are NOT discontinued, shouldn't you remove that "rumor"?

[kokumaker]

I don't mind the idea of amiibo cards, but there's kind of a separate market for that sort of thing. They need to be an alternative to the figures; not a replacement for them. There are still severs rare figures that a LOT of people are still dying to buy. I seriously wonder whether Nintendo actually wants their money.

[kokumaker]

Several, not severs. Goddamned autocorrect. 

[NWR_insanolord]

What about in POG form?

[Triforce Hermit]

I am not happy with this decision.

[Ceric]

Wow. That's... no consolation at all.

Ditto

What about in POG form?

You Joke but that might not be a bad idea.

[UncleBob]

Wait.. I paid $15 bucks for something you're going to release later in a $5 or less piece of cardboard? 

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

anyone that didn't think this was just a money grab was clearly duped. Still I personally liked the e-Reader so this might be more my style than figurines.

[ejamer]

anyone that didn't think this was just a money grab was clearly duped. Still I personally liked the e-Reader so this might be more my style than figurines.

Haha... eReader!  I still have mine, and a bunch of cards downstairs. Good memories. 


Did anyone else try collecting the Animal Crossing cards? It was a lot of fun... except they were also very limited and hard to come by. The "unable to find available for purchase" part of the memory isn't so great.

[UncleBob]

I have a full set of English e-reader cards, including the Animal Crossing cards.

[Soren]

This is a terrible idea.

[ejamer]

I have a full set of English e-reader cards, including the Animal Crossing cards.

Why am I not surprised?  (Jealous... but not surprised.)   

This is a terrible idea.

Actually, I think it's a good idea as a supplemental product... but as a straight replacement for the figures it's hugely disappointing.


Pre-orders for the Shulk figure sold out in hours while you were at work? No problem: here's a playing card, have a nice day!

[pokepal148]

Is nintendo trying to botch it's pr whenever they can?

[pokepal148]

Is nintendo trying to botch it's pr with amiibo whenever they can?

[Kairon]

I don't see why everyone's upset. This could potentially preserve the functionality of Amiibo without removing the collect-ability of the figures.

My real concern with the whole "discontinued" business is being locked out of gameplay features because of supply issues. If Nintendo can re-release cheaper and widely available "utility" amiibo products that would put this functionality in the reach of their general consumer base, letting the people who just want to play videogames sidestep the drama that collectors are used to when chasing down "premium" amiibo products with the exact same functionality.

[Triforce Hermit]

Because I'm not buying Amiibo for the Amiibo functionality. I'm buying Amiibo because I want the figure.

[ejamer]

I don't see why everyone's upset. This could potentially preserve the functionality of Amiibo without removing the collect-ability of the figures.

My real concern with the whole "discontinued" business is being locked out of gameplay features because of supply issues. If Nintendo can re-release cheaper and widely available "utility" amiibo products that would put this functionality in the reach of their general consumer base, letting the people who just want to play videogames sidestep the drama that collectors are used to when chasing down "premium" amiibo products with the exact same functionality.

Maybe it's not fair to compare Amiibo to Skylanders or Disney Infinity, but based on the availability for those systems I didn't think that normal Amiibo figures would be a "premium" product that sells out entire allotments of characters in a couple of weeks (sometimes significantly less).


Like Triforce Hermit, I'd be buying primarily because some of these figures are relatively uncommon characters to get toys for and would be nice to have: Shulk, Pit, Villager, and the Fire Emblem characters. So the functionality that I want preserved isn't in-game but on-shelf. Heck, I don't even own Smash Bros yet. If I get some characters they might just stay in their boxes because they look great that way.


At this point we've heard from Nintendo that some figures are out of print, that some figures might come back, now that some figures might come back as cards instead. The messaging is just all over the place.  Getting frustrated is probably an overreaction though - nothing to do but wait and see I guess.

[Kairon]

Ah, well if you want the actual figure, then it makes sense that this isn't any consolation. I'd vastly prefer the figures myself. And in all honesty Nintendo really should print out some more, or do better messaging and pricing strategies for limited run items.


But if all the collectors have cleaned out Lucario from Toys R Us shelves now and forever(I can't seem to find a pre-order anywhere!), I'd personally be grateful for a Lucario Amiibo card that lets me still find a way to get him into Smash and other games.

[UncleBob]

I just pre-ordered Wave 3, including Lucario, in-store.  They had the pre-order cards out on the counter.  Granted, my experience pre-ordering in-store so far has been pretty shitty...

[GK]

Sucks for figure collectors but at least their functions aren't lost. Hope the cards won't have store exclusives too...

[Mop it up]

It's better than nothing, but not ideal.

[Spak-Spang]

Personally, I kinda like the card idea.  It would be cheaper...easier to carry around, and you can keep you nice collected figures on display or in the box.

[Ceric]

The cards would be fine if they weren't be offered as a replacement for the figures.  If  I could say choice between a Mario Card or Figure.  I probably get a Mario card since there are a lot of good Mario figures.  Take Samus on the other hand if I could have only bought a card of her I probably say F it and not personally buy any of them.

[AV]

maybe they will add AR support to the cards to help bridge the gap some.


i wonder if come january a big influx will arrive in stores and kill the ebay market.


the last thing Nintendo wants is these little guys to be in the bargin bin after nobody buys them.

[famicomplicated]

Some people will take this news as being like "we'll stop making your favourite chocolate, but we'll sell you the wrappers for you to buy"!

I see it more of like Nintendo allowing people to unlock everything in games when certain Amiibos are no longer available, hopefully at a lower price!

Either way, I don't care enough to buy in either form, outside of the one Yoshi one I got out of curiosity!

[broodwars]

If Amiibos HAD any functionality worth preserving, this wouldn't be a bad way to do that. Unfortunately, the Amiibos are worthless in terms of functionality so far, so anyone who cares about them not being available are only concerned about their potential as figures. For those people, this is just Nintendo pouring salt on their wounds.

[UncleBob]

One bonus for figure collectors with this - those who just want the functionality might be inclined to pick up the card and either sell their figure or stop pursuing one, helping to decrease demand and increase supply.

[pokepal148]

[Triforce Hermit]

One bonus for figure collectors with this - those who just want the functionality might be inclined to pick up the card and either sell their figure or stop pursuing one, helping to decrease demand and increase supply.

From the overall response to this decision I've seen, I doubt it.

[lolmonade]

Good god, Nintendo.  Just offer an app with in-app purchases to buy QR codes to scan as certain characters for Amiibo functionality.  Worry less about the scarcity of figurines/cards and offer the same presumed in-game value at a fraction of the cost.

[marvel_moviefan_2012]

was anyone honestly expecting Nintendo not to screw this up? At this point in time I am shocked they still have any real loyal fans left.

[Adrock]

I never really cared for the figures which would have served as decoration and I don't know what I'd do with a bunch of them. I liked that the content was largely unnecessary so I didn't feel like I was missing much. For $13, the price wall was too high for that content, even spread across a many games, though I considered it at times. If an Amiibo card is like $4 or $5, I could probably talk myself into picking one up.

Still, it's just a different kind of DLC rollout method. With that in mind, you're left to wonder what the point is. Was DLC so broken? It depends on how companies handle it. I thought Nintendo was doing well in that regard. Amiibo potentially gives you more value since it can be used in multiple games. It just seems extraneous.

[nickmitch]

There's some Amiibo that I want because I like the character or whatever, but there's some I'd like to have just use in smash bros or whatever other game that eventually will use it.  I think Marth and Fox fit that category.  The cards, pending the price, would work for me in that regard.  It'd at least save some space.