One of the greatest marketing techniques that game giant Nintendo has come up with is releasing character figures to commemorate or celebrate the launch of a game title. Called amiibo, these toys take the form of some of the most well-known characters in the video game world.
Indeed, most of these characters are personalities from Nintendo games, and their amiibo counterparts have become some of the most successful merchandise associated with the gaming industry. But amiibo figures are not only collectibles, they are also an integral part of some Nintendo titles. When players touch the amiibo toy to a Nintendo game controller or the 3DS handheld system, the character appears inside the game's world.
Due to the high demand for the amiibo toys, there were previous reports that retailers ran out of stock almost immediately, with some pieces even going so far as to become rare collectors' items.
Nintendo, according to reports, is hoping that with the new waves of amiibo figures coming out, it will be able to cope with the demand. The company is reportedly raising its internal amiibo production by a significant number.
According to Reggie Fils-Aime, chief operating officer for Nintendo's North American division, they have been working closely with suppliers to make sure that the supply will cope with, and eventually outpace, the demand for the toys.
"We're at a point where we have to take our volume estimates and double them or triple them based on the levels of demand we're seeing," Fils-Aime was quoted as saying during the Electronic Entertainment Expo. "We're working very hard to meet that demand."
One of the big-name companies Nintendo has partnered with is Activision. The game publisher is reportedly thinking of coming out with amiibo toys for its "Skylanders" series of titles. Nintendo is also planning to come out with a new batch of amiibo figures to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Super Mario Bros.," and will also branch out into collectible gaming cards.
