Despite untapped potential, amiibo survives the death of toys-to-life.
With Disney Infinity, Skylanders and Lego Dimensions falling by the wayside in recent years, toys-to-life seems to have reached its natural conclusion. Much like the plastic instrument peripherals of a decade ago, consumers have had enough after filling their homes with plastic discs, USB base plate readers and assorted clutter – the novelty just isn’t enough anymore. As much fun as we had with it, Starlink: Battle For Atlas seemed like a foolhardy endeavour even from its initial reveal back at E3 2017, and despite being a very strong game (with Switch owners getting the choicest cut thanks to the excellent Star Fox crossover content), disappointing sales and a speedy price drop only confirmed what seemed self-evident from the start: toys-to-life is well and truly dead.
But is it, though? A quick survey around the Nintendo Life office reveals we’re still picking up amiibo when something catches our eye. Nearly five years on from launch, Nintendo’s reaction to Skylanders and Disney Infinity – wisely branded apart from the struggling Wii U – has somehow bucked the trend and outlived nearly all competition. We’re still buying them even after toys-to-life went off a cliff. The crazy days of shortages and flipping Wii Fit Trainer on eBay for 500% profit are long gone, but last year’s figures remarkably showed growth in amiibo sales. Nintendo is often accused of artificially bottle-necking supply to generate consumer demand – a practice they deny – but shortages certainly drove interest when the platform launched in 2014.
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from Nintendo Life | Latest Updates http://bit.ly/2BqVZhG
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