In a recent management policy briefing in Tokyo, Nintendo executives talked amiibo. They announced that 21.1 million amiibo have been shipped worldwide since their release last year, and it looks like they have no plans of stopping.
In fact, Nintendo has apologized for being unable to keep up with the demand, and announced upcoming amiibo shipments.
Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima formally stated:
We delayed the launch of the second series of Animal Crossing amiibo cards in order to prioritize additional production of the first series. The second series will be launched today in Japan.
I would like to apologize to our consumers and distributors who have been waiting for them.
Furthermore, President Kimishima stated that character popularity is different by region, which leads to certain characters being out of stock and others having different release dates, all relative by region. Because of this, sales data does not “simply” show consumer demand.
For example, Mario and Splatoon are the most popular in Japan, while Zelda is most prevalent in the United States.
While there was a slip in keeping up production, Kimishima assures that the latest amiibo are selling well.
New releases sell best in Japan, while US and Europe tend to enjoy past releases, leading to very little popularity shift in those regions.
Next comes the moment that everyone in every region has been waiting for: The new amiibo release line-up that will continue the March 2016 benchmark.
Starting in Mid-November, fans can expect releases of Animal Crossing (first series) and Mega Yarn Yoshi in the US, Europe, and Japan. Japanese fans can expect the second series December 17.
Other amiibo in the lineup are:
- Blue Shovel Knight – Shovel Knight series (Holiday 2015)
- Falco – Super Smash Bros. series (Nov 20, 2015)
- Mewtwo – Super Mash Bros. series (Nov 13, 2015)
- Mii Swordfighter – Super Mash Bros. series (Nov 1, 2015)
- Mii Gunner – Super Mash Bros. series (Nov 1, 2015)
- Mii Brawler – Super Mash Bros. series (Nov 1, 2015)
Nintendo continues to persevere through this small bump in meeting the demand of sales of their products.
Any amiibo you’re excited for? Any you’re sad to see haven’t made the list yet? Drop some names in the comments!
