Were amiibo Cards a Bust?

When Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer launched alongside the new Animal Crossing amiibo cards, people were really excited. Based on my experiences going from retail store to retail store on launch day, stock was extremely limited. However, looking back, I’m beginning to wonder how popular these cards have become, or if rather, they are a forgotten thing of the past.

The reality with these amiibo cards is that, well, they don’t have many uses. The going statement from die hard fans is, “We don’t have that new Animal Crossing yet.” Well, two games focusing on the series have launched since amiibo cards have hit the market, and neither really uses them. With more waves coming out in Japan and Europe – and, eventually here in North America as well – I’m starting to wonder why anyone would actually purchase these.

The card idea is not all bad, mind you, especially since rumors have existed about what they might become. For many, the cards offered a cheap, in stock alternative to the figures that know one could find – this problem, more recently, has become less of an issue with stock very plentiful at many retailers. Others with lack of storage space, hoped they could get cards of their favorite characters that would interact the same as the statues within the games. This is what I hoped for.

Even in blind packs that retail for 5.99 for 6 cards, having a card for every actual amiibo figurine was something I was looking forward to. Make some rare – although not super rare – and even hand out special addition cards at events. But have a dedicated card for every figure available. Buy the actual figure at the store, get the card. But if you don’t want to spend that type of money, even three packs – which would equate to a little more that one standalone amiibo – would net a consumer 18 cards.

The amiibo cards would be better suited if they spanned the entire amiibo lineup. Right now, they are focused on one series, and therefore have limited appeal. Nintendo needs to branch out their amiibo card idea to cover all Nintendo properties if they hope to succeed in the trading card marketplace.