Nintendo Apologizes for Amiibo Supply Shortage, Promises to Ramp Up Production (VIDEO)
Nintendo has issued an apology after supply shortages plagued their Amiibo figurines due to their massive popularity.
Japanese gaming company Nintendo has apologized to consumers and issued updates on its plans to handle the supply issues for its toy-centric NFC figurines after 10 million in worldwide sales caused shortages in its stock.
The immense popularity of the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U-compatible toys caused a crash in GameStop's website last month after customers scrambled to purchase newly released figurines.
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The lack of supply did not go well with Amiibo fans, and Nintendo has promised to improve the supply management of the toys.
It issued a statement Monday baring plans to re-issue some of its out-of-stock figurines in the near future, giving rise to speculations it intends to release a silver edition Mario Amiibo -- a rumor Nintendo neither confirmed nor denied.
With sales for the product having exceeded the company's expectations, Nintendo further expressed its regret the supply inconvenience may have caused among its consumers, but promised to revamp its toy manufacturing and quickly ship its new supplies to retailers.
Nintendo has also reassured its customers it will immediately issue press releases, as well as social media posts announcing new Amiibos as soon as they are available.
The RFID-equipped figurines first made their appearance in the video game franchise, "Skylanders," carrying special reader components allowing them to interact within the game itself and store data corresponding to each of the character's traits.
Nintendo launched its own more comprehensive Amiibo prototype for "Pokemon Rumble U" in March 2013, made compatible with 3DS and Wii U platforms, and designed to be playable across multiple Nintendo games.
Named "Nintendo Figurine Platform" or NFC, it was officially launched during last year's E3 and released in North America in November 2014, reaching collectible status quickly.
