Nintendo's amiibo figures have been in infamously high demand, so much so that the majority of potential customers don't even have a chance to get their hands on certain characters.
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Nintendo has finally released a statement to address the product's scarcity, given how much of an uproar it has caused. Most figures are posted online and sell out in a matter of minutes, and supply is rarely if ever replenished.
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Each wave of new figures creates demand Nintendo has not come close to meeting, and it has felt the need to explain the situation. Below is the full statement from Nintendo's Facebook page:
"We appreciate the enthusiasm that our fans continue to show toward amiibo. 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.
We're trying to meet the demands of our fans and consumers by increasing the amount of amiibo we manufacture and ship to retail. 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. 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.
We remain committed to keeping amiibo affordable and easy to access as a platform to enhance game-play experiences. These plans include Animal Crossing amiibo cards that will become available by the end of 2015, and a free-to-download app for Wii U called amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits that launched on April 30, 2015, that lets consumers enjoy playable scenes from certain NES and Super NES games with amiibo."
The plans to bring back some out-of-stock amiibo will in particular please fans, though supply will likely be tight again. Improved communication about amiibo launch and availability will be appreciated as well--let's hope Nintendo can come through.