Nintendo made the official announcement of the new Amiibo series of compatible figures to be released Holiday 2014. The announced line-up of figures include Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Pikachu, and many others.
They were first shown to be compatible with the new Super Smash Brothers game for the WiiU but have since been reportedly announced the work with Mario Kart 8, Yoshi’s Woolly World, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Mario Party 10, as well as a future adapter for the 3DS. The figures do different things in different games. For instance if you use one with Super Smash Brothers, a character that matches the figure appears on screen as a fighter.
Now while not much else is known about this new figure line, it can’t help but feel like Nintendo is late getting into the compatible figure scene. Right now Skylanders is dominating the market since its inception a few years ago. They continue to corner the market for youngsters who like figures and like games, it really is an awesome idea. They continue to come out with new figure lines and kids continue to want them.
For those who are not interested in Skylanders, whether it be that you feel like you are too old for it or simply don’t find it appealing, that is where Disney: Infinity comes in. Disney: Infinity has swallowed up the market for those who are not purchasing Skylanders. They have the name brand that everybody knows and they continue to release figures that are popular for the older generations. A new Marvel line was recently announced and you know that those will be flying off the shelves.
Now with both of these franchises having a huge hold on the market, where does that leave Amiibo? Here is the issue that Nintendo is facing: both Skylanders and Disney: Infinity are available on Nintendo platforms so those with a Nintendo system are already using the technology. Since Nintendo has decided to join the market later than Disney it runs into the problem of over-saturation. Gamers just won’t be willing to, or simply cannot afford to, buy a new line of figures. They already have their money invested in one of the other two.
Nintendo has the capability to solve this problem. Unlike the other two figure lines, the integration into actual games is what will help the Amiibo stand out from the crowd. As long as Nintendo is very clear on what the figures can do in the games and how it separates itself from the competition then it could be very successful. Nintendo has a huge library of popular characters that people would buy. But if they fail at getting this point across then there is a very real possibility that it will not be very successful.
Do you plan on buying Amiibo figures when they are released? Did Skylanders or Disney: Infinity have any impact on your decision? Let us know in the comments below.
