Nintendo's amiibo range of interactive toys has become a massive global success, selling over 10 million units in under a year. With the Wii U underperforming and the 3DS entering its twilight years, it's the kind of shot in the arm the Japanese veteran badly needs – but as ever, there are things Nintendo could and should be doing to make sure the amiibo range reaches its full potential and doesn't end up being a flash in the pan.
From stopping the scalpers, to making the most of NFC, here's the list of things we think will take Nintendo's toys-to-life line to the next level, and establish a fantastic plastic legacy that is sure to run for years to come.
Get more creative with interactivity
Unlike Disney's Infinity range and Activision's Skylanders, amiibo figures boast interactivity with a wide range of games. The issue is that this interactivity is often very minor; an amiibo might unlock a random daily item bonus or a skin, but beyond that there's little reason to keep using the figure over and over. As a result, people are finding that their amiibo are becoming little more than ornaments to adorn their shelves – the interactive element is being underused.
We need to see Nintendo getting more imaginative with the ways these toys connect with software, and there are encouraging signs that this is happening – for example, the forthcoming Super Mario Maker on Wii U will support every single amiibo figure released so far, with the exception of the Smash Bros. Mii figures. We still want to see Nintendo go to the next stage though, incorporating digital replications of the amiibo figures into more games, Skylanders-style. Granted, that's a lot of additional work for the company to do, but it would make these toys even more desirable to players and would ensure they don't just remain on a dusty shelf, to be looked at but never used.
Give players some way of banking their progress
At the moment, there's only one game that uses the "write" feature of the NFC chips inside each amiibo and allows them to "grow" and gather experience, and that's Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Every other game which features amiibo support simply uses the NFC chip's "read" function, which means that no data storage is taking place on the figure itself. Because of limitations in the chip, you can only store one lot of "read" data on the amiibo at any one time, which means when Nintendo does get around to releasing another game which showcases this kind of function, people are going to face the very real threat of having to sacrifice their Smash Bros. progress.
The solution is for Nintendo to create some kind of "amiibo bank" application which can be downloaded to the Wii U or New Nintendo 3DS and allow players to transfer their progress and save it for posterity, ready to be flung back to another amiibo figure when they wish. If this kind of app isn't forthcoming, it means that players will need to purchase additional amiibo figures to use in other "read" enabled games – that's not the end of the world, as most serious fans have more than one amiibo in their collection, but if you're especially fond of your character and want them to take part in all your gaming adventures, then you'll want some way of banking their experience.
Sort out the supply chain
The success of amiibo has been tempered by crippling stock shortages, which have left many fans unable to get the figures they want, and has also created a second-hand market where the most desirable characters change hands for many times more than they originally cost. Simply put, amiibo is a scalper's heaven; unscrupulous buyers have been known to snap up several of the same figure with the express intention of flogging them online to people who actually want to use them in games, and in the UK an entire consignment of Splatoon games – complete with amiibo figures – was stolen before it got to stores. It's a pretty poor situation that has upset a lot of fans who simply want to complete their collection or nab a favourite character.
Nintendo has recently been able to keep up with demand a little better, but there are still certain figures which are almost impossible to obtain (good luck trying to find Xenoblade Chronicle's Shulk for a reasonable price), a fact which has triggered the company's decision to produce "amiibo cards" which replicate the NFC functionality in a way which is cheaper to manufacture. It's not quite the same as having the actual figure though, and we'd like to see Nintendo identify the most collectible characters and issue more of them to satisfy demand and put the scalpers out of business once and for all.
Make amiibo equal in terms of functionality
Not all amiibo are created equal – some unlock levels and items in the game they're related to (Splatoon's inkling figures, for example, and Super Smash Bros. Bowser, who is capable of accessing an entire mode in Mario Party 10) as well as having a major impact in unrelated titles too. Others – such as Sonic the Hedgehog and the insane Wario – are blessed with very little impact. This creates a disparity and naturally leads to certain figures being more desirable than others – and therefore harder to obtain on the open market. When you're stood in front of a stand full of amiibo figures in your local games store, the last thing you should be thinking of is "How much functionality will I get out of this figure?" You should be able to make a purchase knowing that the character you've chosen is just as useful as any other.
By picking and choosing particular figures for unlockables in-game, Nintendo has created a situation where certain figures sell out faster than others. For example, in Mario Kart 8's recent DLC, a handful of characters unlocked special Mii costumes. Of these, Captain Falcon was arguably the most in-demand, as his costume would complete the whole F-Zero effect when combined with the Blue Falcon kart, which was added to the game as part of the update. Why single out certain figures when every amiibo could – and should – unlock this kind of content? Not only does it make some figures harder to find than others, it creates confusion at the point of purchase, with prospective buyers befuddled about which figures unlock content.
Break away from the game-related cycle of releases
So far, Nintendo has tied in amiibo releases with big game launches. The first batch of figures were all taken from Smash Bros., while subsequent waves have been related to Splatoon, Mario Party and Yoshi's Woolly World. While this is fine for building interest in each wave, there are certain characters which we'd love to see immortalised in plastic, but won't get a chance at amiibo fame unless they happen to star in an upcoming game.
Nintendo needs to open things up and mine its enviable back catalogue for fan-favourite characters to spruce up the amiibo line-up. The company could even open this up to the fans, allowing them to vote for the next wave of amiibo. After all, it's the fans and collectors who are driving the success of this very profitable range, and getting them involved would be the perfect way to ensure its popularity is maintained for years to come – especially with an entirely new console on the way next year...