Reggie on first wave of Amiibo figures, different from Skylanders/Disney Infinity, third-parties will come to Wii U as install base grows
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime spoke about a few different topics in a recent interview.
First, regarding the initial wave of Amiibo figures, he stated:
“We wanted to make sure that the breadth of characters we had for the initial ‘amiibo’ line-up supported the fan favorites, as well as showcase the variety of people Nintendo speaks to — from kids to adults. For example, you’ve got a character like Marth from the ‘Fire Emblem’ series. We thought exposing Marth to a wider collection of consumers through ‘amiibo’ made a ton of sense, but, of course, we had to have Mario, Princess Peach and Donkey Kong in that initial line-up, as well.”
Reggie also spoke about how what Nintendo is trying to do with Amiibo is different from the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity:
“Our vision is to have these ‘amiibo’ figures be your playable friends that allow you to enhance the overall experience. It’s a different approach from Activision and Disney, which is more to unlock something in the game. You’re going to want to have your ‘amiibo’ figure because it’s going to allow you to enhance your skills, upgrade your character and take the experience over to a friend’s house.”
And lastly, Reggie noted the following when it comes to third-parties:
“In the end, I want the very best of every single publisher’s content on our platform. We believe we’ll get there as we grow the install base of the system. Make no mistake: The consumer knows they can get high-quality games on the Wii U console. That’s why our business is up almost double over last year.”
