The amiibo Problem 

I remember when this video was new... And Nintendo still hasn't done a thing with amiibo. :(

Nintendo: Giving fans a taste, but not a full course meal.

"Top Ten Nintendo Villans I Want to Eat" That needs to be an actual video.

"Why do these have their own section?" In the last couple of weeks my local Target, Walmart, and GameStops have removed their Amiibo sections. Probably because​ they were always empty of most figures, but overstocked of Animal Crossing figures.

So after watching the whole video I realised it was 26 freaking minutes long. Damn Arlo, I didn't even notice! *Keep it up!*

is amiibo just supreme for toys

Make a Waluigi game, where every amiibo just does the same thing as the Waluigi amiibo. Expecting Kirby? TOO BAD, *WALUIGI TIME!* Also, I would totally vote for Arlo as a Nintendo president.

I...really really want Amiibo Adventure to exist

I'm really proud of this one. It took a long time to write, and it's one of those rare videos where I feel like I said absolutely everything I wanted to say about a topic. So I certainly hope you guys enjoy it! And to hopefully head you off before you ask, sometimes I'm dumb enough to put a time-sensitive line into a video and then that video is in production for a long while and gets delayed several times. That's when you get lines about how Super Mario Odyssey is great and how Nintendo just had a great holiday season...in April. Also I've been informed that I got it backwards--that Roy was a clone of Marth, not the other way around. I can only hope the wave of corrections doesn't literally crash through the computer and crush me.

I remember one time I saw the whole holy trinity set, I begged my mom to get me one of them, saying I’d pay her back, but she just responded with a “maybe another day” and when we came back, the scalpers has already gotten to them

Arlo at the head of Nintendo: Speed up the development of Metroid Prime 4. Me at the head of Nintendo: I expect a Waluigi game on my desk by tomorrow.

Legend has it even Mr Beast can't afford all amiibo

Squishy Kirby Amiibo

Whatever the game, I would make it free to play and downloadable on the Switch. That's significantly raises the value of a switch and ensures that amiibo are constantly worth keeping on shelves. Even if the game is complete garbage it'll still drive sales and establish Amiibo as a market.

KK Slider is clearly a bard, not any sort of healer. Buff and debuff specialist, not healing.

A simple game where you scan your amiibo and then populate a town with them is GENIUS

I have every single Amiibo. Including the currently Japan-exclusive ones. Send help. EDIT: Arlo's video is so true it isn't even funny. I love Amiibo, I love collecting them... But that's it. I just collect them. I scan them in the game however many times is required, then it sits on a shelf for the rest of its days. There was something so magical about Smash's way of handling them and Wolf Link, I'd love to see more of that if the idea of a giant Amiibo crossover game is out of the question.

Waluigi being left while everyone else is gone i find very common. I ended up rescuing one at a gamestop for like 5 bucks and i have been great friends with it ever since.

Amibos should be cheaper. I'd say like 5 dollars, because, for example, spending 20$ for the Smash ability in the True Arena in planet robobot is ridiculous

We need more amiibo stock tbh in my opinion. They ALWAYS run out and scammers are having a field day! Also they need xenoblade amiibos Edit: I know they do have xenoblade 1 amiibos, but I want xenoblade 2 amiibos! A Pyra amiibo, a Mythra amiibo and maybe even a Rex amiibo in a three pack, then sell other characters by themselves

"I like the squishy ones" -Arlo 2018

This my friends, is why you buy NFC cards for cheaper online

My local gamestore had a single chibi robo amiibo. That's it. I love these little thing and I love Nintendo. I have the money and I want to spend it on amiibo, but where I live, I'm just not able to buy amiibo, not even online (I can, but the shipping costs are usually more than the actual figure, I'm not doing that.) This is just something that gets me down every time I walk past the Nintendo aisle in the gamestore near me. It's annoying.

I went to my local Walmart last week to look for the detective pikachu amiibo.... there were no amiibos in the entire store

*make the squishy ones* *i like the squishy ones*

“What would happen if Arlo was put in charge of Nintendo, no questions asked?” My bet: Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing for Switch, and NEW Luigi’s Mansion. Did I forget anything?

Personally, compared to other Toys to Life games, Amiibo are doing the best thing possible. By not beholding Amiibo to one large product, like all the others T2L, Amiibo have avoided something I've coined on the spot called 'Regretability of Purchase' Basically it boils down to 'Do you regret buying this?', with Disney Infinity it was a wholesale yes, the games were ok and later on they released Gold Editions on PC that forgoes the use of the figures, rendering them useless. With Skylanders it depends on the game and the figure, I can't count the times I scanned a new figure into the game and immediately regretted it, thanks to the voice or how they played (cough, cough, Stealth Elf). Another big peg at Skylanders is that it's mostly missed potential, I've been wanting for years smaller skylander games that focus on a select few characters, to help build out that characters lore and of the world itself. Remember when Skylanders games use to include bios of the figures? Why couldn't we experience that! Amiibo's essential fixes all of this, they are largely just collectors items that unlock cosmetics that don't detract from the main game. Yes, you could order a Bowser Amiibo to unlock the Bowser racing suit for your Mii in MK8, but then again you could just play as Bowser. None of the Amiibo's I've bought I've regretted thanks to them being a nice little collectors item, including the Fire Emblem ones I bought mainly for Codename: Steam

Marvel: “Infinity War is the biggest crossover ever.” Bowser, about to be in Skylanders: *Hold my beer*

"I know dimensions is going belly up but look at all the stock on the shelves! These guys get it!"

Unless ''Amibo Adventure'' is free to play it's going to be a very expansive game to play as well. having to pay for each character you want to play as in a game where the roster is everything just sound like a bad deal.

Here we are in 2019 and still no real use for them...

I was just thinking earlier today that Smash 5 releasing this year may mean that they're going to have a small roster of popular characters, and release more throughout the next year. But what if, instead, they lock some of the characters behind amiibo? Now that's a scary thought.

My issue: "Oh, you want to play Twilight Princess HD and it's brand new dungeon's worth of content specifically for Wolf Link? Do you have the Amiibo? Oh, it's sold out? Too bad!"

It’s so cool to see that two of his amiibos came from me (Zelda and Luigi)

Honestly, I think the idea of an ENTIRE game locked behind amiibo seems like a little much to me. I know you want to push their sales, but it seems unfair to force someone to pay 100+ dollars just to get the full experience of the game. Rather, I think you should start out with a Mii in the game, and have Amiibo be ways to access the other characters. Now, instead of making it impossible to get the characters any other way, make the characters rewards of unique sidequests- in a position where the player can see the character before doing the quest. Don't make them unfair or grindy, but rather interesting and different, something closely related to the character. And if you buy the amiibo but also complete the sidequest, you get new functions for that character- like new abilities, or out-of-combat functions, that couldn't be used without the amiibo but isn't taking away from the game for those without amiibo. This way, the game can both be accessable and fun for the player without amiibo but rewarding for those who collect them.

2:42 why shigeru miyamoto should be fired AND promoted

Wow, I have totally wooshed on amiibo. I've gotten along just fine with my Switch without them. I had no idea they were actually selling. Crazy.

I just realized there are going to be new amiibos for all the newcomers to smash this year

Ninten-Pocolypse: After the devastation from the collision of Nintendo Universes, all of Nintemdo's stars will join forces for the crossover of a lifetime. In this totally not a Fallout clone, you, as Captain N the Game Master, will take leadership of a slowly reforming society with the help of your amiibo. Have Villager and Isabelle help aggregate to keep your bellies full. Have Captain Toad explore almagamated fusions of lands once common that now seem unknown. Have Smaus and Fox McCloud keep your camp safe durring times of unrest. Every Amiibo will have its place somewhere with its job to do. Will you be able to figure out who or what caused the phenomenon, and will you ultimately be able to find a way to bring things back to normal? It's up to you.

As an Amiibo collector, I see how hard it is for ME to get a hold of certain Amiibo. If I have this many issues, I can only imagine how hard it is for the average consumer.

"I like the squishy ones" lol. Cute.

Have you played any Fire Emblem games? Typically, a game that uses Fire Emblem amiibos use them in exactly the ways that you described. Just to name a few examples: Codename STEAM, Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Echoes all let you play as, or summon a support of, the character you scanned. Having Ike fight alongside the Cowardly Lion?! How has this not sold better? If you're not a Fire Emblem fan, Super Mario Maker has a great premise with its amiibo usage, and updating the roster, as well as the move sets, of the characters you unlock, provided the game gets a sequel, would be a pretty cool feature of your desire. As for an actual amiibo adventure... They kinda sorta did that with Miitopia, but their amiibo support was lackluster. Maybe they'll make the inverse, where Miis become more of a collectable and amiibos become the selling point. That would be a fascinating strategy to see Nintendo adopt if they decide to make a Switch 2.

i wouldve never thought about an amiibo adventure in a million years. Makes it feel more nintendo like with how out of left feild itd be

My local stores are the exact same way, Arlo. I went to GAME STOP in the MALL OF AMERICA and there were 0 AMIIBO. How?!

It's gotten to the point where I'm gonna be getting those fan-made NFC cards on ebay or etsy, and then buy the ones I actually want to have in my collection. Example: I ADOOORE Splatoon, have since game 1, DAY 1. Bought all 3 avaliable on launch, last stock in Best Buy. Squid Sisters get announced, and they're bought before day 1 in stores at ALL the locations around where I live. And I doubt I'll be getting the 2 new girls, let alone the 3 pack of squid kids for splatoon 2. If I get all the cards tho I have 100% access to the in-game free gear and the likes, and personally I don't care as much for the 2 new girl singers as the Squid Sisters, so I'll still most likely buy their 2-pack if I can find them online in the future. Plus it's so much cheaper...

Your thinking of an amiibo adventure, I'm thinking of a story mode for smash Because a story mode for smash is the same as what you are thinking with the amiibos, except with the figures.

The closet thing to this Amiibo Adventure we had is the Fire Emblem Amiibo in Codename S.T.E.A.M. Which, sadly, failed. No one ever talks about it, yet it’s a great game.

One word... *MOBA* Technically an acronym, but still. Mobas are the perfect evolution of amiibo. Honestly I don't know why anyone hasn't brought it up before. Mobas are all about having a single Arena base game with TONS of characters and their different movesets. And there's so much freedom for them to adapt any play style to just about any of their characters. Not to mention there's an endless depth of different play styles and combinations of different movesets. One game, infinite possibilities. Now, I know what you're thinking. Keyboard and mouse, Fog of war, auto attacks.. (toxic players..) But honestly, I think these hurdled can all be overcome. It doesn't have to be super complicated like LoL or DotA. In fact it SHOULDN'T be. It should be as easily approachable as Splatoon or Smash. Splatoon doesn't have crouching. Smash doesn't have charge meters. And this Amiibo MOBA doesn't have to have everything the others have. It just needs to be slightly fun and very casual and it will explode! I could talk all day about cool ideas to make this work but this comment is long enough. There's just one idea I really want to drop because I think it's relevant to the Amiibo market. I really like Arlos idea of any Mario amiibo unlocking a basic Mario. However, in a MOBA you could give them each the same character but with a slightly different moveset. For instance, Smash Mario, could have a fireball attack, but 8-bit Mario could have three smaller rapid fire fireballs. Same character, same play style, slightly different moves. It would be a hit for serious players really wanting to refine their gameplay, while letting casual people have broader access to Mario. And don't get me started on costumes.. That's literally how most MOBAs make their money. I know people are going to say it's impossible no matter what. But honestly I think a MOBA is the perfect game for Amiibo.

The idea of having Wolf Link play by your side in Breath of the Wild sounds awesome and makes me consider getting Breath of the Wild and a Wolf Link Amiibo. I only JUST got a Switch so I'm late to the party and was considering not getting BotW because of that but since I am a sucker for pet classes in RPGs having an Amiibo to make Link one really catches my attention.

You know what the real problem is? There’s only one squishy Amiibo!

Arlo if they do release an amiibo adventure game please don't die from the hype

Wait how is arlo moving both hands and his mouth??

Can you PLEASE make that “Tingle appearances ranked in order of creepiness” video? I’m BEGGING you

You glossed over it, but Breath of the Wild did amiibo right. Awesome, exclusive gear that was completely optional, and equal to game-obtainable sets

I doubt that an amiibo game would be good at all. Nobody wants to have to buy a toy to play a game

Am I the only one who loved the Smash bros brawl story mode

I miss going to stores and seeing all the amiibo on shelves. I miss those days

Nintendo did a good thing with amiibo in Fire Emblem Fates, having you scan any Fire Emblem amiibo they come to your castle and talk to you gives you some cool items then after you get to have that character in your army, then in echoes they made it that you have to spend 10hp to summon them for a turn and it wasn't as great as it was in fates

"I like the squishy ones." Good squishy. I kind of want to send you an NFC reader so you can use your Metroid amiibo.

The fact that infinity failed, lego is failing, and sky landers is “taking a(n indefinite) break” should tell you all you need to know about the “potential” of toys to life. This video may have been relevant 2-3 years ago, but cmon man, Nintendo doing the right thing not investing too much into this...

The reason the Lego Dimensions displays are so full is because no one is buying them!

I picked up a blue yarn Yoshi amiibo yesterday. I named it Arlo

I like the light touch method Nintendo employs in regards to amiibo. While what your talking about sounds fun, it's too money intensive. It requires lots of amiibos to function, or be worth it. As they are now, you can totally skip amiibos and usually miss nothing of great importance. Sure the gimmicks they open up are fun - but they aren't beat down the door you MUST have these toys kind of situation. That's why Skylanders and other toy to life lines withered and died. They squeezed fans for all they where worth until it was unprofitable. Nintendo, though, continues on. Oh, and you don't seem to mention this -- there was a free amiibo based game. You used Mario characters as toy wind up things for puzzles, offering exclusive puzzles for each character they included in the game

I’ve come back to this video at least a once a year since it came out and still get hyped about a potential amiibo game

yeah, i realy hate these problems, i myself have become a collector myself. I collect all the zelda related amiibos and i am missing the smash toon link as well as the twilight princes and skyward sword link, the later of those were nowhere to be found and on amazon i would pay about 50€ for each. I hope these announced splatoon amiibos get produced in higher numbers so annyone who wants them gets them. Last week i went to my local medimax and saw a kid crying because he wanted a pikachu amiibo, you know the big one but all there was, was daisy, jigglypuf and nothing more. I asked the mother if they would wait about 15 minutes outside of the store, i went home and got my smash pikachu tu give it to that child. I realy hate how Nintendo is making children cry by aiming their product to scalpery (if that is the correct term).

So arlo doesn’t have a New 3ds?

I don't know if you played Fire Emblem fates, but I feel that's one of the best ways to use amiibo.

ITS ALWAYS DAISY, WALUIGI, ANIMAL CROSSING, AND SOME OTHER HUMAN CHARACTERS

90% sure they will restock the amiibos when smash 5 comes out. This was all planned!! They want the rarity of the amiibo and the hype of them to still be high, so when smash 5 comes out, it will be crazy again!!

Controlled scarcity. Its the best thing you can have for a product except strong growth in sold product. BAsically they artificially inflate the demand for the amiibo by printing just a few. Making enough for everybody to buy would decrease their value and the demand for it. Amiibo are not a toy they are a collector product, aimed at collectors just presented as something else to avoid backlash.

Think the amiibo game would work best like a miitopia/fire emblem/animal crossing style game where scanning amiibo can grant you troops or characters in your city/battle.

Arlo, you silly blue thing you, the Amiibo game you've dreamed of will come when you LEAST expect it! That's Nintendo for ya :P

I agree with amiibo not living up to its potential, and that means not being a content wall either. The biggest draw to amiibo when they first came out is how they can pretty much revolutionize the Nintendo universe. The biggest example I can think of is in Codename: STEAM where you could scan Fire Emblem amiibo and be able to PLAY AS MARTH, IKE, AND ROBIN IN A STEAMPUNK GAME. Stuff like introducing characters from other franchises into games would be amazing and introduces a new level of functionality. Crossing franchises was the way to go and Nintendo dropped the ball on it. Imagine playing Mario Odyssey and scanning your Link amiibo. Boom, Hyrule Kingdom unlocked. Doesn't interfere with the base game, only enhances what is otherwise an amazing experience. If they didn't try to have separate amiibo for separate games, I could image it still being possible, but as you said there are too many different amiibo now to make that feasible anymore. The sad thing is that we probably won't see any big content with amiibo at this point; it'll likely stay as physical dlc that you have to pay 14$ for.

Look, I get what you mean about the toys to life part and wolf link in BOTW as an example, but the fact that I can't find a wolf link amiibo anywhere, neither in stores nor online, the fact that I will probably never be able to get wolf link in game is really annoying. Same with the weapons and outfits in botw. They are VERY minor things, but I do kinda feel like I'm being ripped off, knowing that if I were to buy every single amiibo needed to get everything that unlockable via them would cost me something like another 60 dollars is awful to me. That being said, your ideas for the game is better, being that you can use multiple amiibo to unlock a character. When it's done like this, I'd buy it!

Funny watching this 2 years later and certain Amiibo are still hard to obtain.

They don’t even have an amibo section any more at my Walmart

And then I just realized you've acted each scene twice, once with your head and then the other with your arms just so that you can get a full shot of yourself. Kudos.

That GG clip gave me a smile. One day Arlo. One day...

I stopped collecting amiibo after I got EVERY SINGLE SMASH FIGURE..... and zelda ones, and splatoon, and yarn yoshi, and fire emblem.... crap...

*Baby Pink Gold Peach Jr. & Rabbids Amiibo Battle Royale Deluxe & Knuckles 2*

Arlo: nintendo was inspired by skylanders and disney infinit- Me: so what about the amiibo cutscene from smash 64 in 1999

amiibotopia plz come on nintendo miitopia was a good game

I am actually extremely happy that toys to life and amibo as a concept died off. I don't think people realize how detrimental the idea alone is to the industry. Taking advantage of people with FOMO, and locking huge chunks of game content behind overpriced pieces of plastic. Amibo and toys to life is an incredibly anti consumer practice, and it always shocks me how many nintendo fans bought into it.

It must've taken forever to make the thumbnail for this video. Good Job.

It’s funny, 9:18 would be godly to see in a store nowadays.

"Why Star Fox Adventures is objectively the best Star Fox game, period" That would be interesting to see!

God I love and miss Subspace Emissary.

Is amiibo the new bitcoin? EVERYONE INVEST NOW!!!

I actually didn't realize that amiibo were still doing good. They've been so understocked that my local stores have actually gotten rid of their amiibo sections entirely except for a row of maybe 3 or 4 hooks.

A bit footage is from Bowser and dk in Skylanders ... Lol

2:42 I love your ideas list

Coming as a former electronics person from a big store, it's a Nintendo restock problem. I was part of the team who built our electronics section before the store opened recently. We built the amiibo figure section and it took 2 months for our stock to come in. ANDZ THIS WAS RIGHT AFTER MARIO ODDESSEY CAME OUT. We do audits of every section every day to keep inventory and back stock in green levels. That automatically had the system try to fill the empty spot in our shelves with either our inventory, or to order that inventory through our computer system. It's a Nintendon gotta Nintendo problem.

Wait, left over Fire Emblem amiibo? That's a sentence I'd never think I'd hear. I thought Fire Emblem amiibo were one of the rarest variety.

Honestly, the reason they haven't made a big game around Amiibos, is because they wouldn't be able to supply enough Amiibos, to support the game. Yes it's a money grabber if done right, but Nintendo isn't in a situation that allows them to support the game. The absolute best they can do, is to make a game, and only use special amiibos for that game specifically. AC:AF actually did the only thing Nintendo would be able to do for multiple amiibos: Amiibo cards. Cheap to produce, and they can make them in bulk, fast. Let's say the amiibo desire went down, and Nintendo were to make an Amiibo game, it would have to use cards, and not figures. Because then people who didn't buy into the craze(like me) would have to scavenge websites who sell them just to do a simple feature in the game. the game is not unrealistic for the reasons you mentioned, it's unrealistic because it would create a sour experience for fans. Nintendo cares about fun.

Wait??? Nintendo isn't eating puppies??? HOW DARE THEY WASTE FOOD!!!!

I just want an adventure game featuring all Nintendo's all stars (basically the smash characters) or a world of light anime to see the characters interact

2:41 Do make a bayonetta video Arlo ^^

What about that free Mario vs Donkey Kong amiibo game on Wii U and 3DS?

i like this guy its not "here's a problem, fix it" it's"here's a problem, now here's a solution"

You can find FE Amiibo? The only Amiibo I can find is Animal Crossing, and Mario Party. Sometimes Smash. I got lucky with my Chrom Amiibo! I got mine at Toys R Us (the only place I can find rare Amiibo and rare Amiibo that were rare a few years ago) and that’s closing! I should stop at Best Buy. Still want that Falco Amiibo.