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Nintendo touts record-breaking Amiibo sales

Nintendo's line of toys-that-don't-come-to-life figures are selling better than ever, and a few have retained their popularity better than others.

David Craddock

April 28, 2016 1:16 PM

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Remember those halcyon days of Amiibo shortages and price gauging? The shortages are done and over with, for the most part, and price gouging? That'll never stop. Neither will Amiibo sales: despite disappointing fans with the news that both Zelda U/NX and the codenamed NX console won't make their way to stores until March 2017, Nintendo announced that Amiibos are selling better than ever.

The news came as part of Nintendo's latest earnings report, slides for which have been posted online. According to its data, Nintendo shipped 24.7 Amiibo figures in the past financial year, as well as 28.9 million Amiibo cards—which just launched in June of last year—for a grand total of 53.6 Amiibo shipments.

"By providing a continued presence for Nintendo characters in stores, we believe the Amiibo platform has created great benefits for all of Nintendo's platforms," Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima said, sharing his belief that sales of Amiibo merchandise might be having a positive effect on Nintendo hardware.

Furthermore, Link, Pikachu, and Princess Zelda figures are now considered "evergreen," having maintained and in fact grown in popularity over a prolonged period.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.