Nintendo’s Amiibos are a runaway hit, bringing in a lot of cash for a company with a flailing flagship console, but they are also a point of frustration for most fans of the corporation and its iconic brands. Nintendo’s retail handling of Amiibos has so far been abysmal, with shortages, constrained supplies, retailer exclusive figures, poor communication, and more.
Speaking candidly in a new statement released earlier today, Nintendo apologized for all the issues with Amiibo distribution so far, and vowed to work upon improving them going forward.
“We appreciate the enthusiasm that our fans continue to show toward Amiibo,” Nintendo said. “Sales for the product have exceeded our expectations. We understand how frustrating it can be at times if consumers are unable to find certain figures, and we apologize for that.
“Nintendo plans to make it easier for consumers to know when new Amiibo are on the way, through Nintendo press announcements, timely updates on our social media channels, and working closely with retailers,” they continued. “We may continue to see consumer demand outpace supply levels for certain characters at times, but we will do our best to prevent that from happening. As our library of Amiibo continues to grow, some figures will be easier to find than others. We are constantly looking for the opportunity to reissue Amiibo and are already making plans to bring back some currently out-of-stock Amiibo figures. Stay tuned for details.”
At the very least, it is good to see them acknowledge the issues, and work towards fixing them. Whether or not what they do is effective, remains to be seen.