Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and the first wave of amiibo figures are officially available.
Nintendo launched the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros series on Nov. 21, alongside 12 well-loved amiibo characters. Aside from interacting with the Wii U game by offering bonuses, the figures are also intended to work with others, even older titles and those created by other developers. The amiibo figures available at the moment include Mario, Yoshi, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Peach, Link, Marth, Kirby, Fox, Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, and Samus.
"We are not a 'me too' company. We've been thoughtful; we wanted to make sure we had differentiation," said Cindy Gordon, Nintendo of America's vice president for corporate affairs.
The second wave of amiibo figures is due for release in December and will include Captain Falcon, Pit, Little Mac, Luigi, Diddy Kong, and Zelda. Other upcoming amiibo-compatible titles to watch out for are Yoshi's Woolly World and Mario Party 10.
Wii U sales have been dismal, with just 7.29 million units sold since the console came out in 2012, so Nintendo is looking at Super Smash Bros. to improve those figures. With amiibo figures in the picture, Nintendo could also be looking at getting a taste of the same kind of success Disney and Activision had with interactive figures.
As one of the top games for the year, Disney Infinity saw global retail sales of $500 million in 2013. In the United States alone, Activision reported selling more than 100 million of the figures in the same year, adding to the Skylanders franchise's overall revenue of $1 billion.
For those interested in playing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U with a GameCube controller, Nintendo also has an adapter allowing up to four controllers to work with the game. It will be available for $19.99. Additionally, a special bundle featuring a copy of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a GameCube controller, and the adapter was also made available on launch day. Fancy a standalone GameCube controller with the Super Smash Bros. Insignia? It starts selling Friday, available for $29.99.
"Nintendo's holiday software lineup is more than impressive, and our amiibo figures start a new chapter in the world of Nintendo interactive entertainment. With so many great experiences available, this holiday season is going to be an amazing time to be a Nintendo fan," said Scott Moffitt, sales and marketing executive vice president for Nintendo of America.
