In the last few years, I’ve taken advantage of Nintendo’s amiibo reprints and been enjoying the collection process. Lately, amiibos also have grown in size…physically and monetarily. While in one way it’s cool, but on the other hand…are they just TOO big? (Okay, get all those snarky comments out of the way.)
I received the Super Mario Galaxy amiibo last week, and holy cow, they are double, triple, or quadruple the size of the standard amiibo. They’ve become more common, as seen in the line of Kirby Air Riders series, the Samus & Vi-O-La Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Street Fighter 6 series. These larger amiibo also come at a higher cost, ranging from $40 to $50 USD.
Years ago, amiibo would cost us about $13 to $20. Remember that? Even the re-prints of the older amiibo would only cost $20 USD a pop, like Daisy and Mr. GAME & WATCH from the Super Smash Bros. Series. Even without the larger scale sizes, prices generally have gone up, as with anything else, to about $30 USD.
This goes back to my original question, are amiibo just getting TOO big?
I also collect the occasional statue of my favorite video game characters, so I have nothing against larger figurines. Many of these scaled replicas cost significantly more, easily surpassing the $100 mark. So, on one hand, a person can argue that Nintendo’s amiibo are not too big, and in a sense, can be their version of statues with game functionality. On the other hand, if amiibo are meant for game functionality (to scan in for perks etc), it shouldn’t be huge and unwieldly. For example, the additional feature for the Kirby Air Riders amiibo, allows you to swap the riders with their vehicles. Unless you are a die-hard Kirby fan, is this really an important enough to warrant double the shelf space and price tag?
I think amiibo are having an identity crisis — are they going to become character statues for Nintendo IP or will they remain interactive items for the games you play? While I don’t use their scannable functionalities in recent years, I appreciate their smaller size and ease they fit onto my shelves. However, now that they take way more space and cost almost double that when amiibo were initially released, I am becoming choosier on which ones to buy, if I buy one at all.
How are amiibo doing for Nintendo? It’s hard to say given that amiibo sales are wrapped up in hardware sales. According to their recent consolidates sales data, they’ve seen a 106.7% grown compared to the previous year; however, that is all hardware, including the new console, the Switch 2.
The little bit of information I found online was that Nintendo has shipped 77 million units in 2022, which is based on four-year old data over a span of eight years. While I can’t confirm, I wouldn’t be surprised that, if they kept this trajectory, they would’ve surprised 100 million units by 2026.
So, while amiibo may not seem like it is hot like it’s used to be, they are still selling. And if they are still selling, I wonder if Nintendo will continue to push the larger size (and prices) or if these release releases were one offs. I personally think they should keep them small and cheap(er).
Do you think the recent amiibo are just too large and unwieldy? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
Nintendo Pow Block – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
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