If you’re a collector of Nintendo’s amiibo figures, then you truly understand heartbreak.
Ever since the charming plastic figures first hit shelves back in 2014, there’s been an enormous scarcity and very little clarification on Nintendo’s part as how to even purchase some of the rarer ones. Only the most hardcore of collectors are able to get all the ones they want, and even then, the acquisition of these things can be painful. Or absurdly overpriced if you look to the scalper market.
So when Nintendo announced a new line of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild amiibo figures, there was a painful cry where there should have been a glorious cheer of happiness.
The figures themselves are awesome. They depict the four great champions of Hyrule as depicted in Breath of the Wild.
There’s an amiibo figure each for Mipha, the Zora champion; Daruk, the Goron champion; Revali, the Ruto champion; and Urbosa, the Gerudo champion. We don’t yet know what these figures will do, but it seems very likely they’re tied to something within Breath of the Wild‘s second expansion, due out this December. After all, the expansion is titled “The Champions’ Ballad.”
I’ve always had a lot of affection for the Goron race in particular, and I was thrilled to finally be able to get my hands on an amiibo figure depicting one of them. But my hopes were dashed when I actually stopped by GameStop to try to pre-order one. I was told by the employees there that pre-orders had sold out within 24 hours. I’m not sure how accurate that time frame is, but I can say for certain they sold out within a few days. I only stopped into GameStop four days after the announcement was made.
Thankfully, there are other retailers offering pre-orders on Breath of the Wild’s Champion amiibo figures, but they’re disappearing extremely fast.
I love my amiibo collection, but I can’t say I love the things I’ve been forced to do in order to collect the ones I have. And the Zelda figures in particular have a lot of nostalgic meaning for me. I’m still frustrated that I missed out on the very limited run of Wind Waker amiibo figures, because The Wind Waker is one of my favorite video games of all time.
Why does Nintendo insist on rewarding loyalty with such frustration? After all, it’s the most dedicated segment of their fan base who suffers the most from amiibo scarcity. I can forgive the company for underestimating the demand for the things for maybe the first couple waves, but here we are, three years later and the problem still hasn’t been addressed.
So tell me, Nintendo, why do you hate my money so much?
