Nintendo recently posted a short announcement on the Support section of their Japanese website saying that some Smash Bros. amiibo will enter another production run for Japanese consumers. The announcement specifically cites Villager, Little Mac and Captain Falcon. Nintendo adds that they are keeping tabs on demand in Japan and will decide over time whether or not more characters require another production run. As it is, the posting says that the period between start of production and shipment of amiibo takes a few months.
Supply problems have been especially noted in North America (Marth fans, rejoice!). But having another instance of noting high demand and admission of the necessity to produce more amiibo for certain characters is interesting. During a briefing on their Q3 2014 financial results, Nintendo provided some interesting graphics on amiibo sales. First, a regional shipment breakdown:
It’s remarkable how small Japan’s amiibo share seems to be. The United States and Canada’s share, while not surprising, is still gargantuan by comparison. Next, a graphic on amiibo sales ranking by region.
The sales chart doesn’t account for sales lost due to unexpected demand and is, thus, not an indicator of popularity. Rather, it’s an indicator of raw sales performance by numbers. Keep in mind that not all amiibo were produced in equal quantities. One last graphic:
This should be interpreted as percentages of total character stock sold per region. It has a little less to do with absolute quantities of an amiibo sold (though higher quantities would suggest a more difficult time running out.) Remember how Marth, Villager and Wii Fit Trainer amiibo became incredibly hard to find in North America? This chart reinforces that. And, now, according to this internally-produced chart, Nintendo of Japan’s reproduction plans correspond to the amiibo with the first, third and fourth-highest sell-through in Japan.
Perhaps it offers some hints for other amiibo that might benefit another production run, too.
