It Isn’t Looking Good –
A few months ago, myGamer leaked details on the release of Wave 3 amiibos, highlighting the Target exclusive Rosalina, which wound up being pretty darn accurate. We also leaked the news about the second batch of Gamecube adapters which turned out to be true. We are here today to spread the word regarding the upcoming Wave 4 launch that has come from another trusted inside source that will remain anonymous.
You’ll never own this
The next wave of amiibos is schedule to be available in stores on Friday May 29, 2015. Unfortunately, like last wave, do not get your hopes up when it comes to seeing these plastic collectibles sit on store shelves for long (if at all). Saying Wave 4 amiibos are going to be scarce is a huge understatement, it seems similar to Wave 3 in terms of quantity, and there is currently no news of any additional batches.
Here is a breakdown of Target’s estimated Day 1 launch supply of Wave 4:
Charizard – about 12 per store
Wario – about 12 per store
Silver Mario – about 8-12 per store
Pac-Man – about 20 per store
Robin – each store will be lucky to get 4
Lucina – same as Robin, 4 max per store
Jigglypuff (the Target exclusive) – about 20, maybe 24, per store
Marth (resupply from Wave 1) – Target is only set to receive 4,000 Marths company-wide and is scheduled to be sold online only.
Splatoon 3 Pack – each store is expected around a dozen per store
Splatoon Boy – about 8 per store
Splatoon Girl – about 8 per store
One detail to note is Nintendo mostly ships amiibos four to a box which is why stores will probably receive 8 or 12 amiibos. Unless Target distribution splits quantities to compensate for higher traffic stores, some less popular Targets might only get 1, or 0, Robins/Lucinas. From this initial estimate shipment, it looks like Pac-Man, a 3rd party character like Mega Man and Sonic, will be the “common” this wave, followed by Charizard and Wario. The Silver Mario is 100% confirmed but is doubtful it will see reprints considering what happened with the Walmart exclusive Gold Mario.
Good luck getting this guy… at least he is not store exclusive
Keep in mind, these numbers are estimated initial shipments. There is a chance that more will come at a later date but the way this entire amiibo fiasco has been going, don’t hold your breath.
What is troubling is Target has placed an order for an additional 12,000 Mario amiibos (company-wide). Retailers fear that anything they put on their shelves will not sell so they tend to stick with products they know are popular and in-demand. For example, parents of young children know who Mario is but will not recognize Pit, Captain Falcon or Little Mac so they will buy a Mario, Luigi, or Bowser due to familiarity. But any amiibo watcher will easily complain, those 12,000 Marios could be 12k Dededes, 12k Ikes or 12k additional Shulks instead. Only sticking with the most known characters, retailers are also partiality to blame for the ratio of commons to rares along with Nintendo’s ignorant design.
Here’s the bottom line – if you are planning on camping Target, Walmart, ToysRus, Best Buy or Gamestop, if you are fifth or greater in line, you might as well just go home because you will not be getting a Lucina or Robin. Granted the numbers listed above are specific to Target but the other major stores will probably be receiving similar quantities. Instead of a big box store, you might have better random luck trying to find something at a K-Mart (if those even still exist) or an off-electronic retailer like Meijer. Amazon does their best but amiibos only pop up online randomly for literally seconds at a time so it isn’t reliable.
Let us know what you think about this amiibo craze and this anticipated Wave 4 in the comments below. We will like to hear of any success stories as well.
Stay with myGamer.com as we get more updates.
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Update as of 5-26-15:
Initial Wave 4 Target shipments are starting to trickle in and the launch quantities are about what was predicted from the info above, even a little less – confirmed from one local, mid-sized Target location (is not a low volume but not a Super Target).
Jigglypuff = 24
Robin = 4
Lucina = 0
Pac-Man = 12
Charizard = 8
Wario = 4
We originally thought there would be more Warios and Charizards available but perhaps these will be replenished in time although Nintendo has not confirmed additional shipments.