GameStop sure loves their exclusives. Much like how Xenoblade Chronicles was a GameStop exclusive, Shulk is going to be a GameStop-exclusive amiibo. He’ll be part of the third wave of amiibo figures to be released February 2015.
However, according to NintendoNews.com, someone claiming to be a GameStop manager has claimed GameStop will intentionally under-produce the Shulk figure, increasing its rarity so they can drive up the price and sell new shipments of the amiibo as “used”:
Hello. You may remember me as the GameStop manager who first tipped you off about the November 21 release date for Smash Bros. I may have another insider story that I feel people should know about. As you likely know, GameStop will be exclusively selling the Shulk amiibo next year. From what I’ve heard, we will only be getting enough amiibo to exactly match the number of pre-orders—no more, no less. The idea is to keep the figure rare, increasing its market value and driving up demand. Then, several months later, we will receive a second shipment to sell as “used” for a marked-up price.
Please remove my name from the report—I could get fired for leaking this.
Cheers,
[Name withheld]
This is an anonymous source, so it’s hard to say if this rumor is true or not. It’s worth noting, though, that GameStop has been known to use shady business practices before. There were rumors of them doing something similar to this with Xenoblade Chronicles, as well.
What do you think? Do you believe the rumor? Either way, let us know in the comments.
